phone meaning

Noun: phone  fown

1. Electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
   - telephone, telephone set 
2. (phonetics) an individual sound unit of speech without concern as to whether or not it is a phoneme of some language
   - speech sound, sound 
3. Electro-acoustic transducer for converting electric signals into sounds; it is held over or inserted into the ear
   - earphone, earpiece, headphone

Verb: phone  fown

1. Get or try to get into communication (with someone) by telephone
   - call, telephone, call up, ring

Derived forms: phoning, phoned, phones

See also: phonate, phoner, phonetic, phonic

Type of: electro-acoustic transducer, electronic equipment, language unit, linguistic unit, telecommunicate

Part of: phone system, telephone system, utterance, vocalization

Encyclopedia: Phone

[Business]
AmE / noun, verb

■ noun [C,U]

CELLULAR PHONE, FIXED PHONE, MOBILE PHONE

a system for talking to sb else over long distances using wires or radio; a machine used for this:

You can get technical support over the phone.

They like to do business by phone.

He' s been on the phone to his office for more than an hour.

Her phone must be switched off.

■ verb (especially BrE) (BrE also phone up) [+ obj or no obj]

to make a telephone call to sb:

You'll have to phone her office to make an appointment.

She phoned up for a chat.

Can I phone you back later?

I'm phoning about your ad in the paper.

For reservations, phone [phone].

SYN CALL

PHRASAL VERBS

phone in

to make a telephone call to the place where you work:

Sarah phoned in to say she'd be late.

Three people have phoned in sick already this morning.

phone sth in

to make a telephone call to the place where you work in order to give sb some information

[Electronics]
1. Telephone (wire or radio).
2. To establish communication via telephone.
3. Colloquialism for voice communication (radiotelephone), particularly via amateur-radio single sideband on the high-frequency bands (160 through 10 meters).
4. A minimal, unique speech sound. Also called SOUND UNIT.

[Engineering acoustics]
See headphone

[Computer]
voice mail

• -phone:     /-fōn/  &nbs ...
• on the phone:    [American slang]Go ...
• phone for:    phone for sth • ph ...

Examples

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1. cover her while i phone the police.
2. kennedy cradled the phone on his shoulder.
3. i should like to make a phone call, if possible.
4. write a phone number on a slip of paper.
5. excuse me, where is the nearest phone?