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

No one has landlines anymore but even those weren’t working. —Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2025

Respondents were reached by cell phone or landline using live interviewers and by text or online, in English and in Spanish. —Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 30 Sep. 2025

Who doesn’t want to see the inner workings of a landline phone? —Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 20 Sep. 2025

Rather, after Hurricane Sandy knocked out their power, the landline became a lifeline in home. —Stephanie Ganz, Parents, 15 Sep. 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