landline

noun

land·​line ˈland-ˌlīn 

variants or less commonly land line

1

: a line of transportation or communication on land

especially : a telephone line that transmits signals from one station to another directly along a wire without the use of radio waves

It reminds me of the tipping point several years ago when people realized they no longer needed a telephone landline and would do just fine with their cell phones.

—Rana Foroohar

—often used before another noun

a landline phone

a landline network

2

: a telephone that connects by wire : a landline telephone

Of course, if you're really worried, you could ditch your cell phone for a quaint landline.

—Kiera Butler

Examples of landline in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Be sure to provide cell phone numbers, landline numbers if applicable, and email addresses. —Martin Shenkman, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025

Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (127) and cellphones (703) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (274). —Victoria Balara, FOXNews.com, 25 Apr. 2025

Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (125) and cellphones (699) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (191). —Rachel Wolf, Fox News, 22 Jan. 2025

My employer knows my landline number and can call if needed. —Chris Moody, The Atlantic, 2 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1865, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for landline

• affine
• airline
• align
• aline
• assign
• baseline
• beamline
• benign
• bloodline
• bovine
• byline
• canine

Kids Definition

landline

noun

land·​line -ˌ(d)līn 

: a line of communication (as by telephone) consisting of a cable laid on land