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sinal de ocupado

[si-NAL dʒi o-ku-PA-du]
nounmasculinepl: sinais de ocupado
busy signal
1. An auditory signal heard on a telephone line indicating that the called number is currently in use or unavailable
When I tried to call my friend, I heard the busy signal.
Quando tentei ligar para meu amigo, ouvi o sinal de ocupado.
2. A repetitive beeping or buzzing sound produced by a telephone exchange to indicate a line is busy
The busy signal kept interrupting our conversation attempts.
O sinal de ocupado continuava interrompendo nossas tentativas de conversa.
Synonyms
tom de ocupadosinal ocupadotom ocupado
Antonyms
sinal de linha livretom de discar

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
sinal de ocupado
most common usage
São Paulo
sinal de ocupado / tom de ocupado
both forms used interchangeably
Portugal
sinal de ocupado / tom de ocupado
less common in modern usage due to digital phones

Related Idioms & Phrases

ouvir o sinal de ocupado (to hear the busy signal)
dar sinal de ocupado (to give a busy signal)
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