landline

land·line | \ ˈland-ˌlīn

variants: or less commonly land line

Definition of landline

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 Authorities have eased some restrictions, lifting roadblocks and restoring landlines and some mobile phone services since Aug. 5. — BostonGlobe.com, "SRINAGAR, India — India on Thursday formally implemented legislation approved by Parliament in early August that removes Indian-controlled Kashmir’s semi-autonomous status and begins direct federal rule of the disputed area amid a harsh security lockdown and widespread public disenchantment.," 1 Nov. 2019 In an emergency, the University of Kentucky urges victims to call the university's police department at 911 from a campus landline or 859-257-8573. — Billy Kobin, The Courier-Journal, "University of Kentucky investigates the 5th reported rape on campus this semester," 1 Nov. 2019 People started queuing up at houses with landlines to make calls and pass on information to loved ones within the Valley and outside. — Shivam Vij, Quartz India, "How Kashmiris are adapting to everyday life without the internet," 21 Oct. 2019 Some of the movement restrictions have been eased and some landlines are working again, but many Kashmiris say their lives remain paralyzed. — Sameer Yasir, New York Times, "In Kashmir, a Race Against Death, With No Way to Call a Doctor," 7 Oct. 2019 But while the early stretches play (knowingly) with horror-movie trappings — there's no cellphone or Wi-Fi signal on the island and apparently not even a landline — Some Beasts likewise only dips its toes in these whodunnit waters. — Neil Young, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Some Beasts' ('Algunas bestias'): Film Review | San Sebastian 2019," 7 Oct. 2019 The shop has an old cash register, credit card machine, fax machine and one landline phone. — Laraib Hashmi, Houston Chronicle, "Shop in The Woodlands is a favorite for sweet treats," 31 Oct. 2019 The Goucher poll was conducted April 14-19 among a random sample of 617 residents of Maryland, including landline and cellphone respondents. — Steve Thompson, Washington Post, "Poll: Hogan’s approval ratings sky-high; Democrats stronger among women, millenials," 24 Apr. 2018 Until the issue is resolved, AT&T customers can access Arlington 911 by either calling 817-274-4444 or utilizing a landline. — Colin Lecher, The Verge, "A 911 outage hit AT&T customers around the United States," 2 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'landline.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

30 Nov 2019

Cite this Entry

“Landline.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/landline. Accessed 10 December 2019.