cell phone

American

[sel-fohn] / ˈsɛlˌfoʊn /

Or cellphone

noun

Telecommunications.

a wireless telephone using a system of low-powered radio transmitters, with each transmitter covering a distinct geographical area cell, and computer equipment to switch a call from one area to another, thus enabling broad-scale portable phone service.
such a wireless telephone that has other functions, as text messaging or internet access.
mobile phone.

cell phone Cultural

A portable telephone that uses wireless cellular technology to send and receive phone signals. This technology works by dividing the Earth into small regions called cells. Within each cell the wireless telephone signal goes over its assigned bandwidth to a cell tower, which relays the signal to a telephone switching network, connecting the user to the desired party.

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The proximity to a cell tower is often the key to good reception when using a cell phone.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

cell phones

plural

Etymology

Origin of cell phone

First recorded in 1980–85; cell(ular) ( def. ) + phone ¹ ( def. )

Compare meaning

How does cell-phone compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

cell phone vs. smartphone

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

cell phone

The 80-year-old leader doesn't have a cell phone and sarcastically refers to its users as the "finger-tapping generation."

From Barron's ● Oct. 19, 2026

"The cell phone data we used was made available to researchers during the pandemic to help reveal the impacts of COVID-19 shutdowns," said co-lead author Scott Yanco, a research ecologist at the Smithsonian's National Zoo.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 2026

The defence succeeded in excluding some items - a gun magazine, cell phone, passport, wallet and computer chip, found in Mangione's backpack.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026