pay phone

American  

noun

1. a public telephone requiring that the caller deposit coins or use a credit card to pay for a call.

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Etymology

Origin of pay phone

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

I went to a pay phone and called a Chrysler expert I knew about.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 5, 2025

As Chesnoff talks in the “Jinx” episode, red carpet footage from the “All Good Things” premiere briefly appears, as do clips of Lehrman posing as Katie and making a call from a pay phone.

From New York Times • May 12, 2024

A light caught my eye, shining on a relic of a bygone analog era: a pay phone, housed under a Whidbey Telecom cover.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 30, 2023

Then came the 1996 Telecommunications Act, which allowed for increased competition in the pay phone market.

From Slate • Dec. 12, 2023

Molly would sometimes call me from the pay phone outside in the street, to tell me what was going on with my wife.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee