ringtone

noun

ring·tone | \ ˈriŋ-ˌtōn

How to pronounce ringtone (audio)

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Definition of ringtone

: the sound made by a cell phone to signal an incoming call

Examples of ringtone in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The officers who responded found no indication of shots fired, and Ms. Deck said that Mr. Warner used gunfire noises as a ringtone on his cellphone. — New York Times, "Behind the Nashville Bombing, a Conspiracy Theorist Stewing About the Government," 24 Feb. 2021 Juan Carlos went viral in what now seems like the quaintest of fashions: as a custom ringtone for mobile phones. — Saskia Solomon, The Economist, "How the iPhone killed the custom ringtone," 17 Feb. 2021 Could the person in all those Facebook pictures, the blinking three dots in the text window, could the ringtone that startled her whenever her sister called simply disappear? — Patricia Lockwood, The New Yorker, "The Winged Thing," 23 Nov. 2020 Someone turning on a radio — or wait, was that just a cell phone ringtone? — New York Times, "Transporting You Far Away," 20 Nov. 2020 Even the most focused of stage actors can be rattled by an unexpected intrusion, such as an errant ringtone or overzealous audience murmuring. — Washington Post, "Arena Stage returns to live performances with an outdoor production of the rousing ‘Fannie Lou Hamer, Speak on It!’," 30 Oct. 2020 The audio of Trump introducing him is now DiFabio’s cellphone ringtone. — Melanie Mason Staff Writer, Los Angeles Times, "Ohio, once seen as Trump territory, emerges as a battleground," 28 Oct. 2020 After reinserting the long needle in my spine at a second point, the resident jumped in reaction to her ringtone. — Timothy Snyder, The New York Review of Books, "What Ails America," 3 Sep. 2020 Tap a sound type, such as ringtone or text tone under Sounds and Vibration Patterns for new mail, calendar alerts, AirDrop, and more. — Kim Komando, USA TODAY, "10 new iPhone tricks you’ll use all the time," 12 July 2020

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

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Cite this Entry

“Ringtone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ringtone. Accessed 18 May. 2021.

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More Definitions for ringtone

ringtone

noun

English Language Learners Definition of ringtone

: the sound that a cell phone makes when someone is calling

See the full definition for ringtone in the English Language Learners Dictionary

ringtone

noun

ring·tone | \ ˈriŋ-ˌtōn \

Kids Definition of ringtone

: a sound made by a cell phone to signal that a call is coming in

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