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• phone
  phone

  noun

  telephone.
• -phone
  -phone

  a combining form meaning “speech sound” (homophone ), “an instrument of sound transmission or reproduction” (telephone ), “a musical instrument” (saxophone; xylophone ).

phone

¹ American  

[fohn] / foʊn /

noun

1. telephone.

2. a portable electronic telephone device, as a cell phone, mobile phone, or smartphone.

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verb (used with object)

• phones,
  present (3rd person singular)
• phoned,
  past participle,  past
• phoning
  present participle

1. to speak to or summon (a person) by telephone.

2. to send (a message) by telephone.

verb (used without object)

• phones,
  present (3rd person singular)
• phoned,
  past participle,  past
• phoning
  present participle

1. to send a message by telephone.

phone ² American  

[fohn] / foʊn /

noun

Phonetics.

1. a speech sound.

   There are three phonetically different “t” phones in an utterance of “titillate,” and two in an utterance of “tattletale.”

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-phone ³ American  

1. a combining form meaning “speech sound” (homophone ), “an instrument of sound transmission or reproduction” (telephone ), “a musical instrument” (saxophone; xylophone ).

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-phone ¹ British  

combining form

1. (forming nouns) indicating voice, sound, or a device giving off sound

   microphone

   telephone

2. (forming nouns and adjectives) (a person) speaking a particular language

   Francophone

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phone ² British  

/ fəʊn /

noun

1. short for telephone

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phone ³ British  

/ fəʊn /

noun

1. phonetics a single uncomplicated speech sound

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• phonal
  adjective
• -phonic
  combining form

Inflected Forms

Participles

• phoning
  present
• phoned
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• phone
  simple
• phones
  simple
• have phoned
  perfect
• has phoned
  perfect
• am phoning
  progressive
• are phoning
  progressive
• is phoning
  progressive
• have been phoning
  perfect progressive
• has been phoning
  perfect progressive

Past

• phoned
  simple
• had phoned
  perfect
• was phoning
  progressive
• were phoning
  progressive
• had been phoning
  perfect progressive

Future

• will phone
  simple
• will have phoned
  perfect
• will be phoning
  progressive
• will have been phoning
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of phone¹

First recorded in 1880–85; by shortening

Origin of phone²

First recorded in 1865–70, phone is from the Greek word phōnḗ voice

Origin of -phone³

see origin at phone ²

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

phone -phone phones phoned phoning

They say to always print the legend, and because I can’t seem to get either Ringo or Bruce on the phone, I choose to print both.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2026

"Our website and phone lines are operating as normal however, and customers can still log requests."

From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2026

“I fell in love with the area because there was this bookstore there, a Black bookstore, that was just unbelievable,” Knowles said on a phone call from the Hollywood Hills.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2026

European stock market operator Euronext advised listed companies on Friday morning to use the phone to communicate corporate information because of the Outlook email disruption, Reuters reports.

From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2026

I bookmark the website and turn off my phone, unable to contain the smile that’s now stuck on my face.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

How many non-computer or -phone devices can, in a pinch, be used for tweeting?

From Slate ● Aug. 15, 2019

I thought I had a pretty good view of the stage until everyone’s phones shot up.

From Slate ● Nov. 13, 2026

While most people near the scene were solemn, with hands in pockets or filming on their phones, Rachel Cyprian shouted about what she called "overbuilding" in the neighborhood.

From Barron's ● Nov. 12, 2026

He filled a pro sports arena earlier this year at the company’s GTC conference in California, with phones trained on him as he walked out to soaring music.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 12, 2026

Authorities seized documents, cell phones and computers during a raid Monday on Pena's private home in the capital.

From Barron's ● Nov. 12, 2026

“I thought phones didn’t work down here,” said Brooklyn.

From "City Spies" by James Ponti

He regards Gen. Colin Powell, whom he phoned every Sunday while researching The Commanders, as “the only person I interviewed who I believed had the potential to be a great president.”

From Slate ● Nov. 12, 2026

A woman in front of me phoned the missing device, but none of us could hear a ring.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 11, 2026

McHugh said when she phoned her parents to tell them she was on Team Tom "there was this massive roar".

From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026

Ortiz said she phoned Lisinski Law for help to fight the removal proceedings, which the firm declined.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026

Stewing over my culpability, I put off calling Andy Harris’s partner, Fiona McPherson, and Rob Hall’s wife, Jan Arnold, for such a long time that they finally phoned me from New Zealand.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

He wrote the song without her knowledge, phoning the singer afterwards to timidly seek her approval.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

"As soon as a flat comes onto the market, 50 people are phoning," she told AFP at the couple's new flat in suburban Madrid, where boxes lay unpacked.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

People forget what shopping looked like before Amazon: flipping through glossy catalogs, mailing or phoning in orders and waiting weeks for delivery.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026

"We started to pester and we were phoning, and we were going back and forward to the home," she said.

From BBC ● Apr. 5, 2026

Barack had to make a difficult call, phoning the pastor and asking whether he'd be willing to step back from the spotlight, giving us a private backstage blessing instead.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

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