landline

American  

[land-lahyn] / ˈlændˌlaɪn /

noun

• landlines
  plural

1. a circuit of wire or cable connecting two ground locations.

2. a telecommunications line, service, or connection that uses wire running over land or underground to connect to a network.

   telegraph and telephone landlines.

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

4. Citizens Band Radio Slang. a telephone.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• landlines
  plural

Etymology

Origin of landline

First recorded in 1860–65; land + line ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

landline landlines

The couple had a hidden landline phone on their kitchen wall.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

"Many of our elderly grew up at a time when many had no electricity, landline phones or proper schooling," Kim added.

From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026

Playing divorced designer Elizabeth James, Richardson has an on-screen boudoir that is a sanctuary for the working creative mother: charcoal sketches; wire-framed reading glasses; ’90s white cordless landline; creamy thank-you roses on the nightstand.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026

Millions of calls from customers were likely to have been mishandled over a three-year period which prevented or delayed them from switching to a better broadband, landline or pay-TV deal.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

The next morning I check messages on our home voicemail, the landline my mom and sisters and I share.

From "All The Bright Places" by Jennifer Niven

She and the village's residents rely mostly on Wi-Fi and landlines to stay connected, but in a power cut that becomes problematic.

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

She said back-up batteries were available but they would only keep landlines working for two or three hours.

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

The FCC decision does not allow AT&T to immediately discontinue its landlines, said Ryan Johnston, a telecommunications regulatory attorney who works for the Utility Reform Network.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

Widow’s Bay is indeed a fusty place where everyone drives old cars, uses ancient computers and communicates on walkies and landlines since neither cell phones nor Wi-Fi connectivity works.

From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2026

The tracking stations captured the signals with their sixty-four-foot receiving dishes, then relayed this data plus voice communications through a jumble of submarine cables, landlines, and radio waves to the computer center at Goddard.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly