telephone

noun, often attributive tele·phone \ ˈte-lə-ˌfōn \

|Updated on: 10 Jun 2018

Definition of telephone

: an instrument for reproducing sounds at a distance; specifically : one in which sound is converted into electrical impulses for transmission (as by wire or radio waves)

See telephone defined for English-language learners

See telephone defined for kids

Examples of telephone in a Sentence

I just have to make a quick telephone call before we leave.
You can order the cake over the telephone.
The telephone has been ringing all morning!
She picked up the telephone and dialed the number.
He slammed down the telephone.
They hired someone to answer the telephones.
All our telephones are cordless.
I left the telephone off the hook.

Recent Examples of telephone from the Web

Some voting machines are equipped with modems that connect to a telephone line (not the internet) and can be electronically transmitted.

— jen kirby, Vox, "Why it takes so long to get election night results," 9 May 2018
Pilots navigated by dead-reckoning, using landmarks, rail lines, roads, and even telephone lines as their guide.

— eric tegler, Popular Mechanics, "'A Suicide Club': How WWI Pilots Pioneered the Age of Airmail," 9 May 2018
Police established a telephone line for negotiations and brought in Stevens’s ex-girlfriend, who had just broken up with him, to talk him down.

— justin wm. moyer, Washington Post, "‘I was always hiding my face’: The bizarre life of Virginia’s redeemed school shooter," 4 May 2018
The Vet Center Combat Call Center is a 24-hour telephone line for combat veterans and their families to talk about their military experience or issues about readjustment to civilian life.

— jeanette steele, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Caregiving for veterans who have PTSD, at any age," 24 Apr. 2018
Small, Lucite vaults hide in plain sight, concealing hardline telephone lines used only one time a year — and only in a Thunder emergency.

— kristina goetz, The Courier-Journal, "Thunder Over Louisville has never been canceled. But there were some harrowing close calls," 20 Apr. 2018
The call was presumably caused by issues with the telephone line.

— samantha swindler, OregonLive.com, "Drunk man just wants to listen to Willie Nelson: Forest Grove police log," 16 Apr. 2018
Around the same time, a Massachusetts prison official overheard an ex-convict, Charles Lightbody, bragging on a recorded telephone line.

— neil weinberg, Bloomberg.com, "How Wynn’s Boston Casino Is Rising on Land Tied to a Mobster," 11 Apr. 2018
In the 1870s, Western Union blocked telegraph access to areas that featured Bell telephone lines.

— jeremy c. young, Houston Chronicle, "Why a boycott of Facebook is a bad idea," 1 Apr. 2018

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

First Known Use of telephone

1832

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Other Telecommunications Terms

Ethernet, intercept

telephone

verb

Definition of telephone

telephoned; telephoning

transitive verb

1 : to speak to or attempt to reach by telephone

2 : to send by telephone

intransitive verb

: to communicate by telephone

—

telephoner

noun

See telephone defined for English-language learners

Examples of telephone in a Sentence

He telephoned me to say that he was going to be late.
He telephoned to say that he was going to be late.
You never write or telephone.

Recent Examples of telephone from the Web

Richard telephoned several more times that February, Iseler said.

— vic ryckaert, Indianapolis Star, "He abandoned his family 25 years ago. Now Richard Hoagland owes them $2 million," 29 May 2018
El Nuevo Herald tried unsuccessfully to telephone the police station in Viñales, where Ruiz Urquiola has been held since last week.

— nora gámez torres, miamiherald, "Cuban scientist sentenced to one year in prison for 'disrespecting' government authority | Miami Herald," 9 May 2018
Lodie telephoned another friend, prompting a group that included Iacoviello to come to the field.

— travis andersen, BostonGlobe.com, "Man pleads guilty to manslaughter in fatal shooting of off-duty Revere police officer in 2007," 12 Apr. 2018
In addition, the union alleged on Monday, managers are telephoning pilots in the run-up to the vote to urge them to oust the union.

— josh eidelson, latimes.com, "Airline pilots may be next in the U.S. corporate war on unions," 1 May 2018
Online jail records show 25-year-old Stevante Clark was arrested Thursday and accused of making threats to commit a crime resulting in death or great bodily injury and telephoning 911 with the intent to annoy or harass.

— Fox News, "The Latest: Brother of man killed by police faces felonies," 19 Apr. 2018
After the service, Jamal, now 28, telephoned him to hang out with friends.

— keith l. alexander, Washington Post, "Eight years after one of the District’s deadliest mass shooting, grief and pain persist," 30 Mar. 2018
Other supporters leaked word that Trump -- and his chief of staff, John Kelly -- had telephoned Pruitt to offer support.

— bloomberg news, NOLA.com, "Army of conservative allies rallying to save embattled EPA chief," 5 Apr. 2018
Trump, who is famously focused on the topic of TV ratings, personally telephoned Barr, also a public supporter of his off-camera, to congratulate her on the show's success.

— jackie strause, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Roseanne' Revival Will Never Mention Trump by Name (for Now)," 31 Mar. 2018

First Known Use of telephone

1877

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

telephone Synonyms

Synonyms

call, dial, phone;

Related Words

beep, buzz;

call in;

cold-call;

Other Telecommunications Terms

Ethernet, intercept

TELEPHONE Defined for English Language Learners

telephone

noun

Definition of telephone for English Language Learners

: a system that uses wires and radio signals to send sounds (such as people's voices) over long distances
: a device that is connected to a telephone system and that you use to listen or speak to someone who is somewhere else