pay phone

American  

noun

• pay phones
  plural

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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• pay phones
  plural

Etymology

Origin of pay phone

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pay phone

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2025

I could drive down to a pay phone at the motel along the highway if an emergency arose — but emergencies are never so common as we imagine.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 4, 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

This Whidbey Island pay phone, I thought, would be my own makeshift wind phone.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 30, 2023

It was late, warm for February, and I called Molly’s apartment from a pay phone but hung up before anyone could answer.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee