landline

noun

land·​line ˈland-ˌlīn 

variants or less commonly land line

1

: a line of transportation or communication on land

especially : a telephone line that transmits signals from one station to another directly along a wire without the use of radio waves

It reminds me of the tipping point several years ago when people realized they no longer needed a telephone landline and would do just fine with their cell phones.

—Rana Foroohar

—often used before another noun

a landline phone

a landline network

2

: a telephone that connects by wire : a landline telephone

Of course, if you're really worried, you could ditch your cell phone for a quaint landline.

—Kiera Butler

Examples of landline in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Consumers began to ditch landlines in large numbers around that time. —Jalen Williams, Detroit Free Press, 10 Dec. 2024

Your family has just gotten a phone, a landline, and your dad teaches you how to make a collect call from a payphone. —Michelle Weber, Longreads, 19 Nov. 2024

Unlike some traditional pollsters, Kimball said, Emerson uses a mix of techniques, including text-to-web surveys, interactive voice responses on landlines, email outreach and opt-in panels. —Nina Turner, Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2024

The poll of 1,000 likely voters, taken by landline and cellphone Oct. 14-18, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. —Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 24 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1865, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

landline

noun

land·​line -ˌ(d)līn 

: a line of communication (as by telephone) consisting of a cable laid on land