Word
pager
US/ˈpeɪdʒɝ/
UK/pˈeɪdʒɐ/
Countable noun
Definition
n. a small device you carry that beeps or vibrates when someone wants to contact you. People used them a lot before mobile phones became common.
n. a small portable receiver that signals incoming messages with a tone or vibration, typically displaying a callback number or short text.
Examples
“She carries a pager for emergency calls at work.”
“The doctor keeps a pager on at night so the hospital can reach him in an emergency.”
“Long obsolete for most consumers, the pager survives in hospitals where its simple radio signal reaches basements and lifts that block mobile phone coverage.”
Examples
simple
“She carries a pager for emergency calls at work.”
contextual
“The doctor keeps a pager on at night so the hospital can reach him in an emergency.”
complex
“Long obsolete for most consumers, the pager survives in hospitals where its simple radio signal reaches basements and lifts that block mobile phone coverage.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “pager” in context.
Verb
01. carry pager
“Surgeons had to carry a pager at all times in the 1990s.”
verb + noun
02. check pager
“She stopped to check her pager when it vibrated.”
verb + noun
03. pager beeps
“My pager beeped twice during the meeting.”
noun + verb
04. pager buzzes
“Her pager buzzed late at night with an urgent code.”
noun + verb
05. pager flashes
“The pager flashed and showed the callback number.”
noun + verb
Adjective
06. digital pager
“Before mobile phones, many doctors carried a digital pager on their belt.”
adj + noun
07. emergency pager
“The nurse keeps her emergency pager switched on all night.”
adj + noun
08. hospital pager
“The junior doctor answered his hospital pager immediately.”
adj + noun
Noun
09. pager company
“He contacted the pager company to replace his old device.”
noun + noun
10. call someone on their pager
“You could call someone on their pager before mobiles existed.”
11. carry a pager on call
“Junior doctors have to carry a pager on call overnight.”
12. check your pager for messages
“Remember to check your pager for messages between appointments.”
Real-World Examples
“The senior Lebanese security source identified a photograph of the model of the pager, an AR-924, which like other pagers wirelessly receive and display text messages but cannot make telephone calls.” “Hezbollah fighters have been using pagers as a low-tech means of communication in an attempt to evade Israeli location-tracking, two sources familiar with the group's operations told Reuters this year.” “On Sept. 17, thousands of pagers simultaneously exploded in the southern suburbs of Beirut and other Hezbollah strongholds, in most cases after the devices beeped, indicating an incoming message.” Etymology
From page + -er (agent noun suffix) or + -er (measurement suffix) (sense 3).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Synonyms
Word family
NOUN
Related words
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/pager