phone

1 of 5

noun (1)

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

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

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
Fortnite is a popular online game that can be played across different platforms including Android phones, PC, Xbox, PlayStation and others. Katie Wiseman, The Indianapolis Star, 11 Mar. 2024 Now, translation is in our phones, which are omnipresent. Amy Dickinson, Washington Post, 11 Mar. 2024 Grafton School District superintendent Jeff Nelson and Grafton School District director of business services Topher Adams did not immediately respond to phone or email messages asking about the statuses of those investigations. Alec Johnson, Journal Sentinel, 11 Mar. 2024 This is the second page of my phone, which is functionally my homescreen. David Pierce, The Verge, 10 Mar. 2024 Afterward, phone lists were created so that Canaan Chapman, the lead student pastor at the time, and Smith could contact parents with children who might have come into contact with Miller. Frank E. Lockwood, arkansasonline.com, 10 Mar. 2024 The inclusion of this phone call (published on Oct. 24, 2023) plays like a late-in-the-game addition, and appears to lack the diligent planning and detailing of the movie’s other segments. Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 9 Mar. 2024 Hackers can access non-secure devices to get onto people’s home networks and other devices, from phones, computers and TVs to speakers, lights, and garage door openers. Samantha Murphy Kelly, CNN, 9 Mar. 2024 How to secure your Panera payment Those eligible to file a claim can do so on the settlement's website using the phone number used to make the applicable Panera order. Eric Lagatta, The Enquirer, 28 Feb. 2024
Verb
Avant recalled phoning her late mother, Jacqueline Avant, for parenting advice when things got tough. Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2024 Everybody really brought their biggest heart to that movie and nobody phoned it in, because everybody was dedicated to making a great long-lasting rom-com, starting with the great script and director. Lauren Huff, EW.com, 28 Feb. 2024 Another relative phoned me, flustered, in a big-box store because the salesperson was being pushy about a particular overpriced laptop. Simon Hill, WIRED, 26 Feb. 2024 And now, a teenager from Lancaster has been arrested on suspicion of phoning in the phony threat. Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2024 He’s regarded as such a symbol of French excellence that when rumors of his departure for Madrid swirled in 2022, the country’s president phoned him and urged him to stay. Homero De La Fuente, CNN, 3 Feb. 2024 To say that Johnson in particular phoned this performance in would be an insult to Alexander Graham Bell. David Sims, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2024 There were the things that didn’t, like U2 phoning in a bit from Sphere that just proved some of the best live experiences really aren’t transportable to television. Chris Willman, Variety, 5 Feb. 2024 Managers at the Home Depot in San Rafael cleared the store of customers and employees on Friday after someone phoned in a threat, police said. Cameron MacDonald, The Mercury News, 3 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'phone.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of phone was circa 1866

Dictionary Entries Near phone

Cite this Entry

“Phone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/phone. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

phone

1 of 3 noun

phone

2 of 3 verb
phoned; phoning

-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"

More from Merriam-Webster on phone

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