telephone

1 of 2

noun

tele·​phone ˈte-lə-ˌfōn How to pronounce telephone (audio)
plural telephones
: a device by which sound (such as speech) is converted into electrical impulses and transmitted (as by wire or radio waves) to one or more specific receivers (see receiver sense d(1)) : phone
The telephone rang.
We spoke by telephone.
a telephone call
: such as
a
: a telephone that operates by means of a landline
… an old-fashioned corded telephone. The kind that plugs right into the wall phone jack.Eliot Kleinberg
b
: cell phone
In a day when most of us have a telephone in our back pocket … the need for a pay phone no longer exists.Paul Connor

telephone

2 of 2

verb

telephoned; telephoning

transitive verb

1
: to speak to or attempt to reach by telephone
2
: to send by telephone

intransitive verb

: to communicate by telephone
telephoner noun

Examples of telephone in a Sentence

Noun I just have to make a quick telephone call before we leave. You can order the cake over the telephone. The telephone has been ringing all morning! She picked up the telephone and dialed the number. He slammed down the telephone. They hired someone to answer the telephones. All our telephones are cordless. I left the telephone off the hook. Verb He telephoned me to say that he was going to be late. He telephoned to say that he was going to be late. You never write or telephone.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Included are rent, utilities (except for telephone charges), real or personal property insurance and costs for furniture rental. Virginia La Torre Jeker, J.d., Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024 In 1936, the Literary Digest magazine polled people on the presidential election by mailing surveys to telephone owners, car owners and country club members. Doug Schwartz, The Conversation, 23 Oct. 2024
Verb
Anyone with information is asked to telephone the sheriff’s department at (323) 890-5500. Daniel Miller, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2024 Gale Kiplinger recalled his big brother telephoning him close to midnight, saying Dewy would lose. Rob Wells / Made By History, TIME, 25 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for telephone 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'telephone.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1864, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1877, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of telephone was in 1864

Dictionary Entries Near telephone

Cite this Entry

“Telephone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/telephone. Accessed 2 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

telephone

1 of 2 noun
tele·​phone ˈtel-ə-ˌfōn How to pronounce telephone (audio)
: any of several devices for transmitting and receiving sounds over long distances by electricity

telephone

2 of 2 verb
telephoned; telephoning
1
: to communicate by telephone
2
: to send by telephone
3
: to speak to by telephone

More from Merriam-Webster on telephone

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