Jump To:

• phone
  phone

  noun

  telephone.
• -phone
  -phone

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

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)

• phones,
  present (3rd person singular)
• phoned,
  past participle,  past
• phoning
  present participle

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

2. to send (a message) by telephone.

verb (used without object)

• phones,
  present (3rd person singular)
• phoned,
  past participle,  past
• phoning
  present participle

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

Derived Forms

• phonal
  adjective
• -phonic
  combining form

Inflected Forms

Participles

• phoning
  present
• phoned
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• phone
  simple
• phones
  simple
• have phoned
  perfect
• has phoned
  perfect
• am phoning
  progressive
• are phoning
  progressive
• is phoning
  progressive
• have been phoning
  perfect progressive
• has been phoning
  perfect progressive

Past

• phoned
  simple
• had phoned
  perfect
• was phoning
  progressive
• were phoning
  progressive
• had been phoning
  perfect progressive

Future

• will phone
  simple
• will have phoned
  perfect
• will be phoning
  progressive
• will have been phoning
  perfect progressive

---

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

see origin at phone ²

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

phone -phone phones phoned phoning

As a result, tech stocks “have seen a lot more volatility, so it’s keeping a dampener on the overall market,” Saglimbene told MarketWatch in a phone interview on Monday.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026

She said there was a "male shouting from the front of the train" who was "playing spooky Halloween music on his phone".

From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026

The filing also alleges that detective Delaney Green lied when testifying in Kay’s criminal trial that she pulled data from Skaggs’ phone.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026

What may change is whether people watch it on their phone or their TV or, you know, through AI glasses, but the visual component is still stronger for everyone than anything else.

From Salon ● Nov. 2, 2026

Whoever had caught my message over the phone must have spread the alarm.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

How many non-computer or -phone devices can, in a pinch, be used for tweeting?

From Slate ● Aug. 15, 2019

But if those people are constantly on their phones, it’s not completely their fault.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 1, 2026

Shirley Dace, as she worked the phones at Bass headquarters, referred to a five-page list of personal achievements and positive developments during the mayor’s first term.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026

Four boxes of material, including computers, phones, hard drives and old videotapes, were handed to police by Meghan's half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr, last week.

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026

Some customers opened their new $2,000 phones to find bright lines across the folding screen, compromising the display.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026

Ben has a lot to say about technology, and most of all, phones.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy

McHugh said when she phoned her parents to tell them she was on Team Tom "there was this massive roar".

From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026

He phoned Andrew Young, the Daily Mail reporter who had tracked him down in Cyprus.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

Ortiz said she phoned Lisinski Law for help to fight the removal proceedings, which the firm declined.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026

"They phoned the airbase police, who didn't answer the phone. It just rang out so she dialled 999," he told the BBC.

From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026

A few days later, Boghetti phoned Marian in Philadelphia to tell her that she had been chosen as one of sixteen semifinalists.

From "The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights" by Russell Freedman

"As soon as a flat comes onto the market, 50 people are phoning," she told AFP at the couple's new flat in suburban Madrid, where boxes lay unpacked.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

Kaur says the family visited the West Bromwich branch of MPK to resolve the matter, but found it had closed, leaving them to try phoning Singh and his staff every day.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

People forget what shopping looked like before Amazon: flipping through glossy catalogs, mailing or phoning in orders and waiting weeks for delivery.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026

"We started to pester and we were phoning, and we were going back and forward to the home," she said.

From BBC ● Apr. 5, 2026

Barack had to make a difficult call, phoning the pastor and asking whether he'd be willing to step back from the spotlight, giving us a private backstage blessing instead.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• call up
• contact
• dial

---