as in dialing
to make a telephone call to
she phoned her friend to invite her over for dinner
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Recent Examples of phoning
MacPhail was phoning to let Klein know that the Twins were adding him to their 40-man roster ahead of the deadline to protect players from the Rule 5 Draft.
—
Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 24 Feb. 2026
In a 2020 interview with the FBI, the mother recalled phoning Interlochen to inquire about Epstein.
—Ava Berger, NPR, 19 Feb. 2026
Hunt, a former assistant coach at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, recalled phoning the Jacksonville State athletic director and recommending Turgeon for the job.
—Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 5 Feb. 2026
Three characters spend the novel sadly phoning figures who never appear—in Stella’s case, her absent mother (which may explain why Bainbridge sometimes put her own mother in her story about the germination of the book).
—Christopher Tayler, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Advertisement The academics’ calculation began with the informal survey done by a Tehran physician quoted by TIME after phoning six hospitals on Friday to asking how many dead protesters each had.
—Karl Vick, Time, 12 Jan. 2026
Just a bunch of celebs phoning it in.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Jan. 2026
At the time, the spacecraft was orbiting behind Mars, so the signal loss was routine and expected, as Mars always blocks MAVEN from phoning home during the maneuver.
—Denise Chow, NBC news, 3 Jan. 2026
Then, notify the FDA’s MedWatch program, either online or by phoning call 800-332-1088 for a form to fax.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 16 Dec. 2025
Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 24 Feb. 2026
In a 2020 interview with the FBI, the mother recalled phoning Interlochen to inquire about Epstein.
—Ava Berger, NPR, 19 Feb. 2026
Hunt, a former assistant coach at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, recalled phoning the Jacksonville State athletic director and recommending Turgeon for the job.
—Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 5 Feb. 2026
Three characters spend the novel sadly phoning figures who never appear—in Stella’s case, her absent mother (which may explain why Bainbridge sometimes put her own mother in her story about the germination of the book).
—Christopher Tayler, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Advertisement The academics’ calculation began with the informal survey done by a Tehran physician quoted by TIME after phoning six hospitals on Friday to asking how many dead protesters each had.
—Karl Vick, Time, 12 Jan. 2026
Just a bunch of celebs phoning it in.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Jan. 2026
At the time, the spacecraft was orbiting behind Mars, so the signal loss was routine and expected, as Mars always blocks MAVEN from phoning home during the maneuver.
—Denise Chow, NBC news, 3 Jan. 2026
Then, notify the FDA’s MedWatch program, either online or by phoning call 800-332-1088 for a form to fax.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 16 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for phoning
Verb
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The names alone should give an accurate indication of the unrelenting level of quirk, with everyone dialing up the eccentricities to 11.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Feb. 2026
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Can your child perform everyday tasks such as fixing a sandwich, dialing the telephone, and writing messages?—
Cailey Gleeson,
jsonline.com,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Illinois Democrat made further headlines when calling for an immediate hike in the federal minimum wage to $25 per hour.—
Claire Malon,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Feb. 2026
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And Pete Hegseth’s advice on sending in federal forces can be inferred by his support of a pastor calling for denying women the vote.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
21 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Phoning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phoning. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
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