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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Each turn of this film hinges on a choice that a human being makes, and those choices matter far past what each of those humans can see — certainly past trying to pull a girl by changing her biology grade over a landline. — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 18 Sep. 2026 The experience can feel transportive, with viewers traveling back in time to an era of VHS tapes and landline phones. — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2026 Most landline and cell phone numbers associated with Malibu addresses are automatically entered into the Everbridge system, according to the city. — City News Service, Daily News, 2 Sep. 2026 Millennials are reliving their childhoods by installing rotary landlines. — Greta Cross, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for landline

Word History

First Known Use

1865, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of landline was in 1865

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Landline.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/landline. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

Kids Definition

: a line of communication (as by telephone) consisting of a cable laid on land
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