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

An extended power outage could also mean some residents in the mountains won't be able to call 9-1-1 on a landline, something Baumhover says some community members rely on. —Sarah Horbacewicz, CBS News, 16 Dec. 2025

Current law requires the maintenance of landline telecommunications and an aging copper network. —Curtis V La Chusa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Dec. 2025

Another photo released by the committee shows a landline telephone with names written next to speed-dial buttons—among them Darren, Rich, Mike, Patrick and Larry. —Richard Hall, Time, 3 Dec. 2025

There are also other methods for kids to stay in touch with one another, including old-fashioned landlines. —Kara Alaimo, CNN Money, 1 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1865, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for landline

• affine
• airline
• align
• aline
• assign
• baseline
• beamline
• benign
• bloodline
• bovine
• byline
• canine

Kids Definition

landline

noun

land·​line -ˌ(d)līn 

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