plural phones
1
: 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)) : telephone
Once it was as simple as this. I sat at my desk. The phone rang. I answered it.—
Malcolm Gladwell
Malcolm Gladwellreceived a phone call
: such as
a
: a telephone that operates by means of a landline
… the phone is in the front hall; this is an old-fashioned house …—Alice Munro
Alice Munro
b
: cell phone
… Dick got a call on his cell phone. Roxy grabbed the phone and answered.—Mary-Anne Olmsted-Kohls
Mary-Anne Olmsted-Kohls
especially
: smartphone
I have set an alert on my phone to make sure I don't forget a friend's birthday … —Mike Vaccaro
Mike Vaccaro 2
: a device that converts electrical energy into sound waves and is worn over or inserted into the ear : earphone, headphone
The morning the "Smoking Gun" tape was played, tickets were so scarce that one couple from Kansas City, Mo., doubled up on earphones, she listening to the left, he to the right phone.—Louise Sweeney
Louise Sweeney… taking off these RHA headphones and placing the Dr. Dre phones on my head, I realized the more expensive headphones did sound somewhat cleaner …—Charlie White
Charlie White
: a speech sound considered as a physical event without regard to its place in the sound system of a language
plural -phones
1
: sound-transmitting device
microphone
radiophone
2
: musical instrument
xylophone
3
: speech sound
homophone
: symbol representing a speech sound
polyphone
4
: speaker of (a specified language)
Francophone
: of or relating to a population that speaks (a specified language)
Francophone
Examples of phone in a Sentence
Verb
Someone from the newspaper will be phoning with a few questions.
she phoned her friend to invite her over for dinner
Recent Examples on the Web
Bahar Anooshahr, AZCentral.com, 31 July 2025
In a phone call after the July 30 court hearing, Clay said his move is based on a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in a lawsuit concerning the Securities and Exchange Commission that ended the agency's ability to seek civil penalties against defendants without bringing the case before a jury.
—Lucas Aulbach, The Courier-Journal, 31 July 2025
Omaid Homayun, Forbes.com, 29 July 2025
But that night, Brzezinski phoned Harris and asked to meet him in the lobby of the downtown Hilton.
—Alec Lewis, New York Times, 29 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for phone
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Visual simulations in the windows add to the effect, as do details like the flight attendant uniforms worn by servers and a phone on the wall, which guests can pick up to listen in on the conversations in the cockpit.
—Bahar Anooshahr, AZCentral.com, 31 July 2025
In a phone call after the July 30 court hearing, Clay said his move is based on a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in a lawsuit concerning the Securities and Exchange Commission that ended the agency's ability to seek civil penalties against defendants without bringing the case before a jury.
—Lucas Aulbach, The Courier-Journal, 31 July 2025
Verb
Within hours, energized and certain of her path, Ariel phoned her parents to announce her decision.
—Omaid Homayun, Forbes.com, 29 July 2025
But that night, Brzezinski phoned Harris and asked to meet him in the lobby of the downtown Hilton.
—Alec Lewis, New York Times, 29 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for phone
Cite this Entry
“Phone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/phone. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
phone
1 of 3 noun-phone
3 of 3 noun combining formˌfōn
: sound
homophone
—often in names of musical instruments and sound-sending devicesradiophone
xylophone
Etymology
Noun combining form
from Greek phōnē "voice, sound"
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