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• phone-in
  phone-in

  noun

  call in.
• phone in
  phone in

  verb

  (intr) to make a telephone call to deliver information (esp to a broadcasting studio or place of work)

phone-in

American  

[fohn-in] / ˈfoʊnˌɪn /

noun

1. call in.

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phone-in ¹ British  

noun

1. 1. a radio or television programme in which listeners' or viewers' questions, comments, etc, are telephoned to the studio and broadcast live

   2. ( as modifier )

      a phone-in discussion

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phone in ² British  

verb

1. (intr) to make a telephone call to deliver information (esp to a broadcasting studio or place of work)

2. slang (tr) to deliver (a performance) in a perfunctory manner

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Etymology

Origin of phone-in

First recorded in 1965–70; noun, adj. use of verb phrase phone in

Example Sentences

"I don't care about the Chelsea game, the season cannot end soon enough," messaged one angry fan to BBC Radio Stoke's post-match football phone-in show Praise and Grumble after the Wycombe game.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

Take Nigel Farage, leader of the populist party Reform UK, who has known Trump for close to a decade, hosted him on his phone-in radio show and visited him in the Oval Office.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 22, 2026

She initially joined BBC Scotland in 2010 to host Call Kaye, a daily phone-in programme, which ended in 2015.

From BBC • Feb. 28, 2026

He said callers should be treated as "real people with something to say" and that the phone-in should be treated "like a conversation that matters".

From BBC • Dec. 1, 2025

He didn’t make himself available at all until he began Tuesday morning with a rare phone-in to CNBC.

From Salon • Aug. 8, 2025