Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense phones, present participle phoning, past tense, past participle phoned
1. singular noun [oft byNOUN]
Thephone is an electrical system that you use to talk to someone else in another place, by dialling a number on a piece of equipment and speaking into it.
You can buy insurance over the phone.
She looked forward to talking to her daughter by phone.
Do you have an address and phone number for him?
2. countable noun
Thephone is the piece of equipment that you use when you dial someone's phone number and talk to them.
Two minutes later the phone rang.
Doug's 14-year-old son Jamie answered the phone.
3. See also cellular phone, mobile phone
4. singular noun
If you say that someone picks up or puts down the phone, you mean that they lift or replace the receiver.
She picked up the phone, and began to dial Maurice Campbell's number.
Trembling, she put the phone down. It rang again almost immediately.
5. verb
When you phone someone, you dial their phone number and speak to them by phone.
He'd phoned Laura to see if she was better. [VERB noun]
I got more and more angry as I waited for her to phone. [VERB]
Synonyms: call, telephone, ring (up) [mainly British], give someone a call More Synonyms of phone
6.
See on the phone
7.
See on the phone
Phrasal verbs:
See phone in
See phone up
More Synonyms of phone
phone in British English1
(fəʊn)
noun, verb
short for telephone
phone in British English2
(fəʊn)
noun
phonetics
a single uncomplicated speech sound
Word origin
C19: from Greek phōnē sound, voice
-phone in British English
combining form
1. (forming nouns)
indicating voice, sound, or a device giving off sound
microphone
telephone
2. (forming nouns and adjectives)
(a person) speaking a particular language
Francophone
Derived forms
-phonic
combining form in adjective
Word origin
from Greek phōnē voice, sound
phone in American English1
(foʊn)
US
noun, verb transitive, verb intransitiveWord forms: phoned or ˈphoning
telephone
phone in American English2
(foʊn)
noun
Phonetics
any single speech sound considered as a physical event without reference to its place in the structure of a language
Word origin
Gr phōnē, a sound: see phono-
-phone in American English
(foʊn)
1.
a device producing or transmitting sound
saxophone, megaphone
2.
a telephone
interphone
Word origin
< Gr phōnē, a sound: see phono-
Examples of 'phone' in a sentence
phone
These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content.Read more…
She tried to phone again at noon but no one picked up the phone.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Only use your phone or computer within sight of family.
The Sun (2016)
Then my daughter phoned and said she was on her way round.
The Sun (2016)
They thought they picked up their phones half as much as they actually did.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The official phone number may be shown on your debit or credit card.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It advises passengers to turn off the phones and not put them in the hold.
The Sun (2016)
For there is no shame about being seen using a phone behind the wheel.
The Sun (2016)
On average they accessed the internet on their phone or another device for three hours a day.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
That's in the past but she is still refusing to buy me a phone.
The Sun (2016)
The menu was like those cards you find in phone boxes.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Then you can forget about the remote control and use your phone or tablet instead.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
While she was on the phone her daughter vanished.
The Sun (2016)
Welcome to a reality where mobile phones and tablet computers bring images to life.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
You are longing to dial the phone and hear their voice.
The Sun (2011)
The phone was almost as big a hit as the film.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
You may be able to cut your phone bill by sending fewer texts and making fewer calls.
The Sun (2013)
Please include your address and a daytime phone number where possible.
The Sun (2012)
You must include a daytime phone number.
The Sun (2006)
My eldest son checked my phone on a weekend visit and found messages from my new girlfriend.
The Sun (2012)
Members of the public see and phone the police.
Alexander Masters STUART: A Life Backwards (2005)
You can get on your phone or computer and let the world know.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
This is where explicit images are sent by text message from one mobile phone to another.
The Sun (2013)
The other end of the phone line exploded into laughter.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Within an hour the two men were speaking on the phone.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Phone boxes seemed part of the countryside.
The Sun (2008)
No one was permitted to use a phone.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
She then phoned her daughter to say what a nice fellow he sounded.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
And the app takes the results straight to your phone or tablet.
The Sun (2013)
Some still obsessively dial the mobile phones of their relatives.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
This should cut manufacturing costs and reduce the number of chargers thrown away when consumers buy new phones.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
When buying a phone, ask if there are models that are particularly effective at picking up a signal.
The Sun (2014)
In other languages
phone
British English: phone /fəʊn/ NOUN
A phone is a piece of equipment that you use to talk to someone in another place.
Two minutes later the phone rang.
American English: phone
Arabic: هَاتِفٌ
Brazilian Portuguese: telefone
Chinese: 电话
Croatian: telefon
Czech: telefon
Danish: telefon
Dutch: telefoon
European Spanish: teléfono
Finnish: puhelin
French: téléphone
German: Telefon
Greek: τηλέφωνο
Italian: telefono
Japanese: 電話
Korean: 전화
Norwegian: telefon
Polish: telefon
European Portuguese: telefone
Romanian: telefon
Russian: телефон
Latin American Spanish: teléfono
Swedish: telefon
Thai: โทรศัพท์
Turkish: telefon
Ukrainian: телефон
Vietnamese: điện thoại
British English: phone /fəʊn/ VERB
When you phone someone, you dial their phone number and speak to them by phone.
He'd phoned his mother to see if she was better.
I waited for her to phone.
American English: phone
Arabic: يَتَصِّلُ بِهَاتِفٍ
Brazilian Portuguese: telefonar
Chinese: 打电话
Croatian: telefonirati
Czech: zatelefonovat
Danish: ringe
Dutch: bellen
European Spanish: telefonear
Finnish: soittaa puhelimella
French: téléphoner
German: anrufen
Greek: τηλεφωνώ
Italian: telefonare
Japanese: 電話をかける
Korean: 전화하다
Norwegian: ringe
Polish: zatelefonować
European Portuguese: telefonar
Romanian: a telefona
Russian: звонить по телефону
Latin American Spanish: telefonear
Swedish: ringa
Thai: โทร
Turkish: telefon etmek
Ukrainian: телефонувати
Vietnamese: gọi điện thoại
Translate your text for free
All related terms of 'phone'
car phone
A car phone is a mobile phone, especially one which is designed to be used in a car.
pay phone
a public telephone , usually coin-operated
phone box
A phone box is a small shelter in the street in which there often used to be a public telephone.
phone in
If you phone in to a radio or television show , you phone the show in order to give your opinion on a matter that the show has raised .
phone sex
sexual activity carried out verbally by telephone
phone tap
an instance of listening secretly, usually illegally, to someone's phone conversations using special electronic equipment
phone up
When you phone someone up , you dial their phone number and speak to them by phone.
cell phone
a mobile phone
phone bill
an account or bill for the charges for a telephone and line and for calls made from it
phone book
A phone book is a book that contains an alphabetical list of the names , addresses , and phone numbers of the people in a town or area.
phone booth
A phone booth is a place in a station, hotel, or other public building where there is a public telephone.
phone call
If you make a phone call , you dial someone's phone number and speak to them by phone.
phone card
phone-jack
to steal the mobile phone from (a person)
phone patch
phone user
A user is a person or thing that uses something such as a place, facility , product, or machine.
smart phone
A smart phone is a type of mobile phone that can perform many of the operations that a computer does, such as accessing the internet .
watch-phone
an electronic wristwatch that is able to perform many of the functions of a smartphone or tablet computer
camera phone
A camera phone is a mobile phone that can also take photographs .
mobile phone
A mobile phone is a phone that you can carry with you and use to make or receive calls wherever you are.
phone number
→ another name for telephone number
phone phreak
a person who uses electronic equipment to gain unauthorized access to long-distance telephone services
phone tapping
Phone-tapping is the activity of listening secretly to someone's phone conversations using special electronic equipment. In most cases phone-tapping is illegal .
picture phone
a mobile phone that can take, send , and receive photographs
cellular phone
A cellular phone is the same as a → cellphone .
on the phone
If you say that someone is on the phone , you mean that they are speaking to someone else by phone.
phone interview
An interview is a formal meeting at which someone is asked questions in order to find out if they are suitable for a job or a course of study.
cellphone
A cell phone is a type of telephone which does not need wires to connect it to a telephone system.
mobile phone chicken
a highly dangerous game in which a person is challenged to perform a hazardous stunt which he or she films with a camera phone
phone-in competition
A competition is an event in which many people take part in order to find out who is best at a particular activity.
phonecard
A phonecard is a plastic card that you can use instead of money to pay for telephone calls.
telephone sex
sexual activity carried out verbally by telephone
videophone
a telephonic device in which there is both verbal and visual communication between parties
open-line
a radio or television programme in which listeners' or viewers ' questions , comments , etc, are telephoned to the studio and broadcast live