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

Tin Can phones, reinvented WiFi landlines for pre-smartphone kids. —Alex Kirshner, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2026

Others still use landlines, which can function when the internet is shut off, but which are widely believed to be monitored by authorities. —Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026

Robocall blockers might provide relief from unwanted calls on your cell phone, but 82-year-old Joseph Turrise said protecting his beloved landline from spam calls has proven far more challenging. —CBS News, 6 Mar. 2026

Maybe someone would call on a landline. —Natalia V. Osipova, CNN Money, 27 Feb. 2026

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