telephone

¹tele·phone

noun, often attributive \ˈte-lə-ˌfōn\

Definition of TELEPHONE

: an instrument for reproducing sounds at a distance; specifically : one in which sound is converted into electrical impulses for transmission (as by wire or radio waves)

Examples of TELEPHONE

1. I just have to make a quick telephone call before we leave.
2. You can order the cake over the telephone.
3. The telephone has been ringing all morning!
4. She picked up the telephone and dialed the number.
5. He slammed down the telephone.
6. They hired someone to answer the telephones.
7. All our telephones are cordless.
8. I left the telephone off the hook.

First Known Use of TELEPHONE

1844

Other Telecommunications Terms

Ethernet, intercept

Rhymes with TELEPHONE

acetone, allophone, altar stone, anglophone, anklebone, barbitone, baritone, bombardon, brain hormone, buffer zone, Canal Zone, cannon bone, cherrystone, cinder cone, cobblestone, coffin bone, collarbone, comfort zone, cornerstone, cortisone, crazy bone, crumple zone, curling stone, cuttlebone, demand loan, diaphone, Dictaphone, ecotone, epigone, fracture zone, francophone, frigid zone, frontal bone, funny bone, gramophone, growth hormone, hammerstone, herringbone, hold one's own, holystone, homophone, hydrophone, ice-cream cone, ironstone, kidney stone, knucklebone, leading tone, leave alone, let alone, lithopone, marrowbone, megaphone, mellophone, methadone, microphone, microtone, minestrone, monotone, neutral zone, on one's own, overblown, overgrown, overtone, plant hormone, polyphone, prednisone, provolone, quarter tone, rotenone, rottenstone, sacaton, saxophone, semitone, sex hormone, shacklebone, shatter cone, silicone, sousaphone, speakerphone, stand-alone, stepping-stone, temperate zone, temporal bone, thunderstone, Torreón, torrid zone, traffic cone, twilight zone, undertone, vibraphone, Yellowstone

²telephone

verb

telephonedtelephon·ing

Definition of TELEPHONE

transitive verb

1

: to speak to or attempt to reach by telephone

2

: to send by telephone

intransitive verb

: to communicate by telephone

— tele·phon·er noun

Examples of TELEPHONE

1. He telephoned me to say that he was going to be late.
2. He telephoned to say that he was going to be late.
3. You never write or telephone.

First Known Use of TELEPHONE

1877

Related to TELEPHONE

Synonyms

dial, phone, ring (up) [chiefly British], call

Related Words

beep, buzz; call in; cold-call

Other Telecommunications Terms

Ethernet, intercept

telephone

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Instrument designed for simultaneous transmission and reception of the human voice. It works by converting the sound waves of the human voice to pulses of electrical current, transmitting the current, and then retranslating the current back to sound. The U.S. patent granted to Alexander Graham Bell in 1876 for developing a device to transmit speech sounds over electric wires is often called the most valuable ever issued. Within 20 years, the telephone acquired a form that has remained fundamentally unchanged for more than a century. The advent of the transistor (1947) led to lightweight, compact circuitry (see cell phone). Advances in electronics have allowed the introduction of a number of “smart” features such as automatic redialing, caller identification, call waiting, and call forwarding. Telephone systems are also a primary access route for the Internet.