Wiktionary
n. (context US telephony English) An audible signal to the calling party that indicates failure to complete the requested connection; an engaged tone
Wikipedia
A busy signal is information communicated to a user or apparatus attempting a connection, indicating the requested connection cannot be completed.
- HTTP status codes 500 and 503, analogues to busy signals applicable in the context of the protocol HTTP
- Busy Signal (born 1982), or Reanno Gordon, a dancehall singer from Jamaica
- "Busy Signal", a song by Prefuse 73 from the 2003 album One Word Extinguisher
Usage examples of "busy signal".
And Murdick's monotonous chirp the pitch of a busy signal came out of the grillwork behind the blood-spattered fangs.
I hung up the phone and dialed Murphy's number again, but only got a busy signal.
Lifting the phone to his ear, all he heard was the fast-busy signal that announced that the call hadn't gone through properly.
He had been assured that anyone dialing that number in the Thirties would get only a busy signal or a sound of endless ringing.
He slumped on the bed while trying to dial Castenada's office and screwed up the number twice before getting a busy signal.