burner phone

noun

: a prepaid cell phone that is not bound to a contract with a carrier (see carrier sense 7b) and is usually intended to be disposed of after use

She said he returned a short time later, got a lot of cash, then left again with the drugs and money after talking to an unidentified person on a burner phone.

—Kurt Helin

called also burner

Examples of burner phone in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Wrong number While burner phones are often associated with crimes like espionage and fraud, there are plenty of nonnefarious reasons someone may want one. — Devika Rao, TheWeek, 29 July 2026

Jennifer, for her part, is pretty sure that the information on Dennis’s burner phone is completely useless. — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 8 July 2026

Investigators linked Heuermann to their murders through burner phones and DNA evidence, among other evidence. — Janelle Griffith, PEOPLE, 17 June 2026

That does not mean the FCC is trying to ban burner phones outright. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 17 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1996, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for burner phone

• acetone
• anglophone
• baritone
• bourguignon
• buspirone
• chaperon
• chaperone
• cobblestone
• collarbone
• cornerstone
• cortisone
• dictaphone