112

proper noun

The telephone number for emergency services on all GSM cell phones and in the EU, Russia, United Kingdom, India, Indonesia, Turkey, Ukraine, Cameroon, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome, the Seychelles, Uganda, East Timor, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Moldova, North Macedonia, Vatican City, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, and Saint Vincent.

“When you call 112 in the United Kingdom, the call is automatically rerouted to 999 operators.”

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Meanings

proper noun
  1. The telephone number for emergency services on all GSM cell phones and in the EU, Russia, United Kingdom, India, Indonesia, Turkey, Ukraine, Cameroon, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome, the Seychelles, Uganda, East Timor, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Moldova, North Macedonia, Vatican City, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, and Saint Vincent.

    When you call 112 in the United Kingdom, the call is automatically rerouted to 999 operators.

  2. The telephone number for ambulance services in Afghanistan, Angola, Benin, Bhutan, Burundi, and Burkina Faso.
  3. The telephone number for law enforcement in South Korea, Norway, Colombia, Serbia, Lebanon, Syria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Papua New Guinea, and Mauritius.
  4. The telephone number for firefighting assistance in Equatorial Guinea and Nauru.

Synonyms & antonyms

Narrower
E112

Origin

Selected by the European Union as the 3-digit number fastest to dial on cellular and rotary phones without the likelihood of accidental dialing caused by hanging up a landline telephone, sometimes interpreted by phone networks as a 1.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

112. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/112

MLA

“112.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/112. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “112,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/112.

Source: 112 on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.