phone

¹ American  

[fohn] / foʊn /

noun

1. telephone.

2. a portable electronic telephone device, as a cell phone, mobile phone, or smartphone.

---

verb (used with object)

phoned, phoning

1. to speak to or summon (a person) by telephone.

2. to send (a message) by telephone.

verb (used without object)

phoned, phoning

1. to send a message by telephone.

phone ² American  

[fohn] / foʊn /

noun

Phonetics.

1. a speech sound.

   There are three phonetically different “t” phones in an utterance of “titillate,” and two in an utterance of “tattletale.”

---

-phone ³ American  

1. a combining form meaning “speech sound” (homophone ), “an instrument of sound transmission or reproduction” (telephone ), “a musical instrument” (saxophone; xylophone ).

---

-phone ¹ British  

combining form

1. (forming nouns) indicating voice, sound, or a device giving off sound

   microphone

   telephone

2. (forming nouns and adjectives) (a person) speaking a particular language

   Francophone

---

phone ² British  

/ fəʊn /

noun

1. short for telephone

---

phone ³ British  

/ fəʊn /

noun

1. phonetics a single uncomplicated speech sound

---

Other Word Forms

• -phonic combining form
• phonal adjective

Etymology

Origin of phone¹

First recorded in 1880–85; by shortening

Origin of phone²

First recorded in 1865–70, phone is from the Greek word phōnḗ voice

Origin of -phone³

phone ²

Example Sentences

But between the possibility of phone pouches and social media bans elsewhere in the world, why is this such a serious problem?

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

He claimed that requests for installing this reliable phone had grown significantly.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

On the phone all those years later, Day told Seaver she couldn’t keep making music people didn’t like.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

"Two months without a phone at my age is like you've fallen off the face of the earth and disappeared," she said.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

I type it into my phone and proofread it three times before I hit send.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

Related Words

• call up
• contact
• dial