telephone

1 of 2

noun

tele·​phone ˈte-lə-ˌfōn How to pronounce telephone (audio)
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

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
In a telephone interview with IndyStar, Grogg said Dominica's Criminal Investigation Department arrived at the family's home at 5 a.m. on March 6 without warning, waking him, his wife and three youngest children from sleep. Alexandria Burris, The Indianapolis Star, 13 Mar. 2024 Furthermore, another study found that after an overnight stay in a hotel, adults with natural rhinovirus colds contaminated about 35 percent of the 150 environmental sites tested, such as pens, light switches, remote controls and telephones. Sabrina Sholts, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Mar. 2024 The telephone survey, which took place over 20 days this month, has a margin of error of 4 percentage points, according to Gallup. Faith E. Pinho, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024 Differences on the court emerged over how to think about the platforms — as akin to newspapers that have broad free-speech protections, or telephone companies, known as common carriers, that are susceptible to broader regulation. Mark Sherman, Fortune, 27 Feb. 2024 But Florida and Texas say social media platforms are less like newspapers and more like telephone and telegraph operators who are transmitting content generated by customers, not creating it themselves. USA TODAY, 25 Feb. 2024 Contrast that to estimates from early 2003, where fewer than 3% of adults lived in wireless-only households, and at least 95% lived in homes with landlines, which have been around since Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876. Deepti Hajela, Quartz, 23 Feb. 2024 The chemical, a wood preservative and known carcinogen, was once routinely applied to telephone and electric poles to lengthen their useful life. Justin Wm. Moyer, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024 The campaign will include a website with information on emergency preparedness, a telephone campaign that will contact 400,000 women led head of households and a video social media campaign. Emma Hall, Sacramento Bee, 5 Mar. 2024
Verb
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 As the storm gained intensity, a desperate Andrade telephoned her sister, Yesmin Andrade Rodríguez, 37, from the wavering craft. Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 13 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'telephone.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1864, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1877, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of telephone was in 1864

Dictionary Entries Near telephone

Cite this Entry

“Telephone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/telephone. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

telephone

1 of 2 noun
tele·​phone ˈtel-ə-ˌfōn How to pronounce telephone (audio)
: 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

More from Merriam-Webster on telephone

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