phone

noun

/fəʊn/

(also rather formal telephone)

Idioms

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[countable] a piece of equipment for talking to people who are not in the same place as you
- I have to make a phone call.
- The phone rang and Pat answered it.
- Can someone answer the phone?
- I hadn't got my phone with me.
- Please switch off your phones before the show begins.
- a phone conversation/interview
- Here is our list of top new phone apps.
British/American phone / call / ring
phone / call / ringVerbs
- In British English, to phone, to ring and to call are the usual ways of saying to telephone. In North American English the most common word is call, but phone is also used. Speakers of North American English do not say ring. Telephone is very formal and is used mainly in British English.
Nouns
- You can use call or phone call (more formal) in both British English and North American English:
  Were there any phone calls for me?
  How do I make a local call?
  The idiom give somebody a call is also common:
  I’ll give you a call tonight.
  In informal British English you could also say:
  I’ll give you a ring tonight.
Extra Examples
- Can you get the phone?
- He was called to the phone just as he was leaving.
- His phone is almost permanently engaged.
- I turned on my phone.
- I've lost my phone charger.
- If the phone rings, don't answer it.
- The phone suddenly went dead in the middle of our conversation.
- The phone was busy when I called.
- The phone was ringing off the hook.
- a £30 fine if caught holding a phone while driving
- the modern business of selling phone handsets
- His phone must be switched off.
- He unplugged the phone as he didn't want to be disturbed.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- cell
- cellular
- mobile
- …
verb + phone
- be on
- use
- call (somebody on)
- …
phone + verb
- go
- go off
- ring
- …
phone + noun
- number
- book
- directory
- …
preposition
- by phone
- on the phone
- over the phone
- …
See full entry
[uncountable, singular] the system for talking to somebody else using a phone
- by phone They like to do business by phone.
- on the phone I talk to my family on the phone.
- over the phone I can't talk about this over the phone.
- a phone bill
- They want to put up a new phone mast next to the school.
- Most people only need one phone line.
see also car phone, cell phone, Entryphone™, feature phone, flip phone, mobile phone, payphone, telephone
Express Yourself Leaving a phone message
Leaving a phone messageIf you phone someone who is not able to take your call, you may need to leave a message:
- Could I speak to Jay Black, please?
- Could you give him a message?
- Is there a time that might be good for me to try him again?
- Can you let him know I’ll call back?
- Could you ask him to call me back? My number is…
Extra Examples
- I haven't seen her but we spoke over the phone.
- I think our phone is being tapped.
- The modem links the computer to a phone line.
- The search of the phone records yielded nothing.
- We keep in contact by phone but we rarely see each other.
- We spoke on the phone the other day.
- Phone lines in the city had been cut.
- The toll-free phone line is open from 8 : 30 a.m. to 6 : 30 p.m.
[countable] the part of a landline phone that you hold in your hand and speak into
- to pick up the phone
- to put the phone down
- to take the phone off the hook (= so that no one can call)
Collocations Phones
PhonesMaking and receiving phone calls
- the phone/telephone rings
- answer/pick up/hang up the phone/telephone
- lift/pick up/hold/replace the receiver
- dial a (phone/extension/wrong) number/an area code
- call somebody/talk (to somebody)/speak (to somebody) on the phone/telephone; from home/work/the office
- make/get/receive a phone call
- take the phone off the hook (= remove the receiver so that the phone does not ring)
- the line is (British English) engaged/ (especially North American English) busy
- the phones have been (North American English) ringing off the hook (= ringing frequently)
- put somebody through/get through to the person you want to speak to
- put somebody on hold (= so that they must wait for the person they want to speak to)
- call from/use a landline
Mobile/cell phones
- be/talk on a (both British English) mobile phone/mobile/(especially North American English) cell phone/(informal, especially North American English) cell
- use/answer/call (somebody on)/get a message on your mobile phone/mobile/cell phone/cell
- switch/turn on/off your mobile phone/mobile/cell phone/cell
- charge/recharge your mobile phone/mobile/cell phone/cell
- a mobile/cell phone is on/is off/rings/goes off
- (British English) top up your mobile/cell (phone)
- send/receive a text (message)/an SMS (message)/a fax
- insert/remove/change a SIM card
see also telephone
Extra Examples
- I couldn't get through because you'd left the phone off the hook.
- I grabbed the phone and called Josie's number.
- I hung up the phone when he started shouting at me.
- I picked up the phone receiver and pressed it to my ear.
- She cradled the phone between her ear and shoulder.
- She slammed the phone down in a rage.
Topics Phones, email and the interneta1
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- cell
- cellular
- mobile
- …
verb + phone
- be on
- use
- call (somebody on)
- …
phone + verb
- go
- go off
- ring
- …
phone + noun
- number
- book
- directory
- …
preposition
- by phone
- on the phone
- over the phone
- …
See full entry
-phone
(in nouns) an instrument that uses or makes sound
- dictaphone
- xylophone
-phone
(in adjectives and nouns) speaking a particular language; a person who does this
- anglophone
- francophone
(phonetics) a sound made in speech, especially when not considered as part of the sound system of a particular language compare phoneme

Word Originnoun sense 5 mid 19th cent.: from Greek phōnē ‘sound, voice’.

Idioms

be on the phone

to be using the phone
- He's been on the phone to Kate for more than an hour.
- She's on the phone at the moment.
Topics Phones, email and the interneta2
(British English) to have a phone in your home or place of work
- They're not on the phone at the holiday cottage.
Topics Phones, email and the internetc2

phone

verb

/fəʊn/

(especially British English)

(British English also phone up)

[intransitive, transitive]

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they phone	/fəʊn/ /fəʊn/
he / she / it phones	/fəʊnz/ /fəʊnz/
past simple phoned	/fəʊnd/ /fəʊnd/
past participle phoned	/fəʊnd/ /fəʊnd/
-ing form phoning	/ˈfəʊnɪŋ/ /ˈfəʊnɪŋ/

Phrasal Verbs

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to make a phone call to somebody synonym call
- I was just phoning up for a chat.
- He phoned to invite me out for dinner.
- phone for something Someone phone for an ambulance!
- phone about something I’m phoning about your ad in the paper.
- phone back Could you phone back later?
- phone home He phoned home, but there was no reply.
- phone somebody/something Don't forget to phone New York.
- For reservations, phone 020 281 3964.
- Someone phoned the police.
- Phone them up and find out when they are coming.
British/American phone / call / ring
phone / call / ringVerbs
- In British English, to phone, to ring and to call are the usual ways of saying to telephone. In North American English the most common word is call, but phone is also used. Speakers of North American English do not say ring. Telephone is very formal and is used mainly in British English.
Nouns
- You can use call or phone call (more formal) in both British English and North American English:
  Were there any phone calls for me?
  How do I make a local call?
  The idiom give somebody a call is also common:
  I’ll give you a call tonight.
  In informal British English you could also say:
  I’ll give you a ring tonight.
Wordfinder
- area code
- call
- dial
- engaged
- hold
- line
- message
- phone
- ring off
- voicemail
Extra Examples
- Could you phone me back later?
- Dan phoned for a taxi.
- Jane phoned up about the meal tonight.
- She phoned home to say she'd be late.
- You can phone me on this number.
Topics Phones, email and the interneta1
Word Originnoun sense 5 mid 19th cent.: from Greek phōnē ‘sound, voice’.