on the phone
idiom
1
: using a telephone to talk to someone
Can you see who's at the door? I'm on the phone.
I was on the phone with my sister until late last night.
2
British
: connected to a telephone system
How many households aren't on the phone?
Examples of on the phone in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Wingler ran that gauntlet for her daughter, spending hours on the phone, filling out forms and sending faxes.
—
Bram Sable-Smith, NPR, 27 Oct. 2025
On the afternoon of the shooting, the victim was on a shift break sitting inside her car and talking on the phone with her uncle.
—Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 26 Oct. 2025
Soon, Sigg was on the phone with Westminster Police, sharing with them the news that would upend her life –– and send her firstborn son to prison for the rest of his.
—Dakin Andone, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2025
After speaking with Bill Walker and others at the scene, Meeker and another police official get Helton on the phone, according to body-camera video.
—Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for on the phone
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Bram Sable-Smith, NPR, 27 Oct. 2025
On the afternoon of the shooting, the victim was on a shift break sitting inside her car and talking on the phone with her uncle.
—Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 26 Oct. 2025
Soon, Sigg was on the phone with Westminster Police, sharing with them the news that would upend her life –– and send her firstborn son to prison for the rest of his.
—Dakin Andone, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2025
After speaking with Bill Walker and others at the scene, Meeker and another police official get Helton on the phone, according to body-camera video.
—Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for on the phone
Cite this Entry
“On the phone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on%20the%20phone. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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