Jump To:

• 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.

---

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.”

---

-phone ³ American  

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

---

-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

---

phone ² British  

/ fəʊn /

noun

1. short for telephone

---

phone ³ British  

/ fəʊn /

noun

1. phonetics a single uncomplicated speech sound

---

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

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

phone -phone phones phoned phoning

“Initially, we thought the 4.5% level for the 10-year was going to be the point where yields started to affect stock valuations,” he said via phone.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026

"People should be alert to scammers reusing the data and so knowing details such as phone numbers and car registration numbers," he added.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

Before entering 10C, everyone’s phones are locked away in a phone pouch that can be opened only by courthouse staff.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

For CFO Michael Katz, a two-hour Sunday phone call with the boss has become the norm.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

I’m about to dive in, shatter the perfect mirror beneath me, when my phone chimes his chime, and the relaxed confidence I was enjoying rushes out of me, like water rushing from a broken dam.

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

Before entering 10C, everyone’s phones are locked away in a phone pouch that can be opened only by courthouse staff.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

Spiegel was already envisioning a future in which smartglasses, rather than phones with apps, were the future of computing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

"Otherwise, even at the Elysee, you have meetings with people and they're all on their phones."

From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026

He was in a bar in Halifax, West Yorkshire, with his wife when the sound of pinging phones began echoing around.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

No one moved, but plenty of people held up cell phones, still recording the event.

From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty

Salonen was on the jury of the Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition that Dudamel won and phoned Borda from Bamberg, famously describing the boyish Dudamel as “a conducting animal.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

The vote proved too close to call on Tuesday evening, but by Wednesday morning, El-Sayed had claimed the win, and Stevens had phoned him to concede.

From Slate ● Aug. 5, 2026

When Mr. Baker phoned, no one picked up.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

He phoned into CNN’s “State of the Union” and NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday morning to share his memories of Graham.

From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026

Charles phoned an hour later, just as I was beginning to think about getting dressed.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

"It is really fun to go into a phone box on the chance you get someone phoning up who you have never met," he said.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 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

At a pivotal point in “The Christophers,” Lori explains how she can see that Julian was phoning it in during his later series of the titular paintings.

From Salon ● Apr. 17, 2026

When he wasn’t there, we were phoning every day.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 16, 2026

My brain is big enough to hold only one ten-digit number, and since his was there first, I have no idea how anyone might go about phoning me.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris

Related Words

• call up
• contact
• dial