phone

1 of 5

noun (1)

ˈfōn 

plural phones

1

: a device by which sound (such as speech) is converted into electrical impulses and transmitted (as by wire or radio waves) to one or more specific receivers (see receiver sense d(1)) : telephone

Once it was as simple as this. I sat at my desk. The phone rang. I answered it.

—Malcolm Gladwell

received a phone call

: such as

a

: a telephone that operates by means of a landline

… the phone is in the front hall; this is an old-fashioned house …

—Alice Munro

b

: cell phone

… Dick got a call on his cell phone. Roxy grabbed the phone and answered.

—Mary-Anne Olmsted-Kohls

especially : smartphone

I have set an alert on my phone to make sure I don't forget a friend's birthday …

—Mike Vaccaro

2

: a device that converts electrical energy into sound waves and is worn over or inserted into the ear : earphone, headphone

The morning the "Smoking Gun" tape was played, tickets were so scarce that one couple from Kansas City, Mo., doubled up on earphones, she listening to the left, he to the right phone.

—Louise Sweeney

… taking off these RHA headphones and placing the Dr. Dre phones on my head, I realized the more expensive headphones did sound somewhat cleaner …

—Charlie White

phone

2 of 5

verb

phoned; phoning

: telephone

phone

3 of 5

noun (2)

: a speech sound considered as a physical event without regard to its place in the sound system of a language

-phone

4 of 5

noun combining form

plural -phones

1

: sound-transmitting device

microphone

radiophone

2

: musical instrument

xylophone

3

: speech sound

homophone

: symbol representing a speech sound

polyphone

4

: speaker of (a specified language)

Francophone

-phone

5 of 5

adjective combining form

: of or relating to a population that speaks (a specified language)

Francophone

Synonyms

Verb

• call
• dial
• ring (up) [chiefly British]
• telephone

Examples of phone in a Sentence

Verb

Someone from the newspaper will be phoning with a few questions.

she phoned her friend to invite her over for dinner

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In an email follow-up to a phone interview, Bozak said Jane Jordan had the council’s support as well. —Amy Lavalley, Chicago Tribune, 11 May 2024

Infrared imagery from phones can pick up things that people cannot see with the naked eye. —Alexandria Burris, The Indianapolis Star, 11 May 2024

The state-of-the-art LEDs distill a shadowless light that also moves through certain shades such as cyans and magentas that your eyes perceive but your phone camera can’t differentiate. —Siddhartha Mitter, New York Times, 10 May 2024

Space Weather Prediction Center Officials said people in the southern U.S. who can't see the aurora with their naked eyes could still take some dazzling pictures with their phones. —Alex Sundby, CBS News, 10 May 2024

At the same time, the administration expanded a phone app, CBP One, that lets migrants in Mexico schedule a time to be processed at official ports of entry. —Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2024

Among the papers spilled from a blue accordion folder was a yellow legal pad that contained dozens of phone numbers for organizations Franklin called to inquire about housing. —Theresa Clift, Sacramento Bee, 9 May 2024

Or pick up your phone and try to reach someone in college admissions. —Chris Quintana, USA TODAY, 9 May 2024

Sheriff’s office divers also found the phone Macauley threw in the water. —David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 9 May 2024

Verb

Trump recalled that his ex phoned him after Porter’s shocking death of pneumonia at the age of 47 back in 2018. —Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 19 Apr. 2024

The same resident phoned again in early December to complain about another truck parking transgression near the intersection. —Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Apr. 2024

And the idea of coasting or phoning it in or falling back on the merely physical during an off day repels her. —Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024

In January, a deepfake robocall that phoned thousands of New Hampshire Democrats imitated Joe Biden’s voice with AI and told them not to vote in the primary election. —Kevin Collier, NBC News, 19 Mar. 2024

To find out what time a particular bar will start blasting Priest at deafening volumes, just phone them up and pray the bartender can hear you over the stereo. —Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 29 Feb. 2024

Six months later Lieberman phoned Hadassah — the daughter of Holocaust survivors born in Czechoslovakia — and the two quickly bonded over their deep and sincere religious convictions. —Virginia Chamlee, Peoplemag, 28 Mar. 2024

But feel free to follow its social media pages or phone a friend in Gardner. —Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 25 Mar. 2024

Suddenly, the mere act of following a person or brand gives them the right to phone you. —Barry Collins, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

by shortening

Verb

derivative of phone entry 1

Noun (2)

borrowed from Greek phōnḗ "voice, speech" — more at phono-

Noun combining form

borrowed from Greek -phōnos "having a sound (of the kind or number specified)," derivative of phōnḗ "sound made by something living, voice, speech, utterance"; (sense 4) borrowed from French, borrowed from Greek -phōnos — more at phono-

Adjective combining form

borrowed from French — more at -phone entry 1

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1880, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1885, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

circa 1866, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing phone

• burner phone
• cell phone
• cell phone lot
• cell phone parking lot
• courtesy phone
• flip phone
• get the phone
• mobile phone
• on the phone
• over the phone
• pay phone
• phone book
• phone booth
• phone box
• phone card
• phone directory
• phone-in
• phone sex
• phone tag
• phone tapping
• put down the phone
• put the phone down on (someone)
• screen one's (telephone/phone) calls
• smart phone

Kids Definition

phone

1 of 3 noun

ˈfōn 

1

: headphone

2

: telephone entry 1

3

smartphone

phone

2 of 3 verb

phoned; phoning

: telephone entry 2

-phone

3 of 3 noun combining form

ˌfōn

: sound

homophone

—often in names of musical instruments and sound-sending devices

radiophone

xylophone

Etymology

Noun combining form

from Greek phōnē "voice, sound"