telephone

1 of 2

noun

tele·​phone ˈte-lə-ˌfōn 

plural telephones

: a device by which sound (such as speech) is converted into electrical impulses and transmitted (as by wire or radio waves) to one or more specific receivers (see receiver sense d(1)) : phone

The telephone rang.

We spoke by telephone.

a telephone call

: such as

a

: a telephone that operates by means of a landline

… an old-fashioned corded telephone. The kind that plugs right into the wall phone jack.

—Eliot Kleinberg

b

: cell phone

In a day when most of us have a telephone in our back pocket … the need for a pay phone no longer exists.

—Paul Connor

telephone

2 of 2

verb

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

Synonyms

Verb

• call
• dial
• phone
• ring (up) [chiefly British]

Examples of telephone in a Sentence

Noun

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.

Verb

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 on the Web

Noun

Monitors showed aerial footage from surveillance drones, and various radios and landline telephones blinked in a corner. —Luke Mogelson, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024

There is the flaming red wig worn by Lucille Ball in Du Barry Was a Lady, the gate from Jane Russell’s childhood home, Jean Harlow’s bottle of Mitsouko perfume, jewelry worn by Carole Lombard, and Mae West’s personal telephone. —Hadley Meares, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Apr. 2024

Shrill doorbells, front-desk service bells, and especially ringing telephones torment Tom, threatening to expose his deceptions. —Judy Berman, TIME, 4 Apr. 2024

There are advantages to having a central home telephone that anyone can use, such as letting a child call 911. —Heather Kelly, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2024

Accusations flew on Tuesday’s episode of The Valley after a broken game of telephone led to a misunderstanding among the group. —Dana Rose Falcone, Peoplemag, 3 Apr. 2024

In a telephone interview, Max Hollein, the museum’s director and chief executive, said the volume of materials an auction house must review gave Simmons the background necessary to take on a review of the Met’s encyclopedic collection. —Robin Pogrebin, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024

Much like the rumor about Willie Bennett shared by a few teens in a Mission Hill smoke session, this, too, was a perverse game of telephone. —Seyward Darby, Longreads, 19 Mar. 2024

Ohtani and Mizuhara were seen on television joking and smiling in the dugout during the season opener in Seoul on March 20, a day after Mizuhara gave a 90-minute telephone interview to ESPN saying Ohtani had paid his gambling debts. —Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2024

Verb

Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon telephoned Putin on Sunday and distanced himself and his nation from the suspects. —Mary Ilyushina, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024

Theft by false pretenses, conspiracy: Between 10:15 a.m. on Feb. 20 and 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 21, someone telephoned a Saratoga resident claiming to work at a tax company and defrauded the victim out of $5,900. —Anne Gelhaus, The Mercury News, 1 Mar. 2024

Roughly thirty minutes after that call ended, Dominique telephoned Sharma. —Patrick Radden Keefe, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2024

Just an hour before the Hall of Fame announcement, Milwaukee Brewers owner Mark Attanasio telephoned to increase their offer to first baseman Rhys Hoskins to two-year, $34 million deal. —Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY, 28 Jan. 2024

When the party was over, Matthew, Rachelle, and Joe drove north, telephoning Zac on the way. —Patrick Radden Keefe, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2024

Another who clashed with Mr. Wade was Brian F. McEvoy, a lawyer for Gov. Brian P. Kemp of Georgia, whom Mr. Trump had telephoned late in 2020 for help in overturning Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s win in the state. —Richard Fausset, New York Times, 20 Jan. 2024

According to the lawsuit, Flores repeatedly telephoned them for six weeks and filled their answering machine with silent hang-up calls. —Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2024

Trump telephoned his adversary, and the two had a fiery back-and-forth. —David Freedlander, The New Yorker, 18 Dec. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1864, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1877, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing telephone

• telephone directory
• telephone pole
• telephone number
• telephone tag
• French telephone
• down the telephone
• wireless telephone
• on the telephone
• cellular telephone
• telephone book
• telephone booth
• telephone box
• screen one's (telephone/phone) calls

Kids Definition

telephone

1 of 2 noun

tele·​phone ˈtel-ə-ˌfōn 

: any of several devices for transmitting and receiving sounds over long distances by electricity

telephone

2 of 2 verb

telephoned; telephoning

1

: to communicate by telephone

2

: to send by telephone

3

: to speak to by telephone