landline

[ land-lahyn ]

/ ˈlændˌlaɪn /

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noun

a circuit of wire or cable connecting two ground locations.

a telecommunications line, service, or connection that uses wire running over land or underground to connect to a network: telegraph and telephone landlines.

Also called landline telephone, landline phone . a telephone that is connected by wire to a network.

Citizens Band Radio Slang. a telephone.

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Origin of landline

First recorded in 1860–65; land + line¹

Words nearby landline

landlady, land lane, land legs, ländler, landless, landline, landlocked, landlocked salmon, landloper, landlord, landlordism

How to use landline in a sentence

Faxing is another standard tool that comes with a multifunction printer, though faxing is slowly becoming a business function of the past due to a decrease in landline popularity.
Best all-in-one printer: Upgrade your home office with these multitasking machines|Carsen Joenk|February 8, 2021|Popular-Science
When Glenda called the number back from the room’s landline, it turned out to be Varahn, who announced that she was moving out the next day and promised to stop by in September “to pass the torch.”
“We Don’t Even Know Who Is Dead or Alive”: Trapped Inside an Assisted Living Facility During the Pandemic|by Ava Kofman|November 30, 2020|ProPublica
Some older voters still primarily use a landline, but 96 percent of Americans reported owning a cellphone in 2019, according to Pew Research.
What Pollsters Have Changed Since 2016 — And What Still Worries Them About 2020|Geoffrey Skelley (geoffrey.skelley@abc.com)|October 13, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
For six months, 12 million people had no internet, no cable TV, and for some of that time, no cellphones or even landlines.
Podcast: How a 135-year-old law lets India shutdown the internet|Anthony Green|September 2, 2020|MIT Technology Review

The shutdown was total—no mobile internet, broadband, landlines, or cable TV.
How India became the world’s leader in internet shutdowns|Katie McLean|August 19, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Below that light was a small desk with a black landline telephone.
Writing a Novel: Even Making It Up Requires Research|Ridley Pearson|July 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
During one late-evening delivery, when he saw the office was mostly empty, he asked if he could use the landline.
Bergdahl’s Dad: Drone Killed Captor’s Kid|Michael Ames|June 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On one day alone in 2006, a News International landline made 24 hacking calls to royal aides and rival journalists.
8 Lessons From the Murdoch Phone Hacking Trial|Peter Jukes|December 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The move is an acknowledgment that the landline business is largely dead and the mobile phone has saturated the world.
Wall Street Plays Defense|Daniel Gross|September 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Meanwhile, voice—i.e., landline telephone service—also seems to have peaked.
Why Time Warner Cable Can’t Cave to CBS’s Demands|Daniel Gross|August 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for landline

land line

noun

a telecommunications wire or cable laid over land

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012