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

My employer knows my landline number and can call if needed. —Chris Moody, The Atlantic, 2 Apr. 2025

The number for a landline listed in a publicly available telephone directory was disconnected. —Ron Hurtibise, Sun Sentinel, 1 Apr. 2025

Three minutes after the declaration of martial law, Mr. Noh’s military intelligence agents moved in to secure its computer server room, cut off landlines and confiscate the mobile phones of those on duty. —Choe Sang-Hun, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2025

Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (123) and cellphones (648) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (223). —Victoria Balara, FOXNews.com, 2 Apr. 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