pay phone

American  

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of pay phone

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

In urban neighborhoods, the local candy store often had a pay phone and acted as a message center for the surrounding area.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 26, 2026

I rushed miles to the nearest pay phone, to tell Mom and Dad the news: They would be going home.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 12, 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

Then came the 1996 Telecommunications Act, which allowed for increased competition in the pay phone market.

From Slate • Dec. 12, 2023

So I go to the pay phone in the front of the store, call the store’s number, and ask for personnel.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich