ringtone

noun

ring·​tone ˈriŋ-ˌtōn 

: the sound made by a cell phone to signal an incoming call

Examples of ringtone in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

By 2000, Nokia’s custom-ringtone Composer app had popularized a new, short-form musical medium that the ringtone industry, at its peak, would transform into a billion-dollar marketplace in the United States. — IEEE Spectrum, 13 July 2026

However, because his hearing aids connected directly to the ringtone, the two ended up wandering around the house, using the changing volume to narrow down its location instead of listening for the phone itself. — Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 5 July 2026

The ringtone was a rumba song by Spanish band Los Desgraciaus called Los Coches Chocones. — Guillermo Rai, New York Times, 27 May 2026

In 2006, the RIAA also certified songs downloaded as ringtones and began accounting for streaming audio and/or video, with 150 on-demand streams counting as one unit for certification purposes. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1983, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for ringtone

• boney
• boni
• bony
• coney
• crony
• monie
• mony
• phoney
• phony
• stoney
• stony
• toney

Kids Definition

ringtone

noun

ring·​tone ˈriŋ-ˌtōn 

: the sound made by a cell phone to signal an incoming call