phone

Pronunciation

• IPA ^(key): /ˈfoʊn/
• SAMPA: /"foUn/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

Noun

Singular phone

Plural phones

1. A phone is a tool for speaking to people who are far away.

   Can I borrow your phone? I need to call my friend.

   The phone's ringing. Can you answer it?

   "Goodbye!" she said, and put the phone down.

2. A phone is a smartphone.

   This classroom does not allow students to use their phones during class.

• 
  A rotary dial phone
• 
• 
• 
  A multi-line business phone
• 
  A cordless phone
• 
  A pay phone
• 
  A pay phone
• 
  Cell phones

Synonyms

• telephone

Related words

• phoney

Verb

Plain form phone

Third-person singular phones

Past tense phoned

Past participle phoned

Present participle phoning

1. If you contact somebody using a phone, you phone them.

   Hey, I'll phone you tonight and we can decide what to do.

   I phoned up my friend and asked her to come over at 8:00.