burner phone

noun

: a prepaid cell phone that is not bound to a contract with a carrier (see carrier sense 7b) and is usually intended to be disposed of after use

She said he returned a short time later, got a lot of cash, then left again with the drugs and money after talking to an unidentified person on a burner phone.

—Kurt Helin

called also burner

Examples of burner phone in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

That, alongside the burner phones, the car, and the pretty close match on the description, was enough for an arrest. —Lissete Lanuza Sáenz, StyleCaster, 4 Apr. 2025

Canadian immigration lawyers have advised people traveling to the United States to bring a burner phone with them amid tensions between the two countries. —Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Apr. 2025

Experts say worried passengers should consider turning off their phones before arrival or using a burner phone. —Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 29 Mar. 2025

How the son was able to pay for the burner phone is a mystery. —Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 21 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1996, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for burner phone

• acetone
• anglophone
• baritone
• bourguignon
• buspirone
• chaperon
• chaperone
• cobblestone
• collarbone
• cornerstone
• cortisone
• dictaphone