tele·phone
| \ ˈte-lə-ˌfōn
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Definition of telephone
(Entry 1 of 2)
: an instrument for reproducing sounds at a distance
specifically
: one in which sound is converted into electrical impulses for transmission (as by wire or radio waves)
telephone
verb
telephoned;
telephoning
Definition of telephone (Entry 2 of 2)
: to communicate by telephone
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Synonyms for telephone
Synonyms: Verb
call, dial, phone, ring (up) [chiefly British]
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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
The council will meet by telephone at 3:30 p.m. and McCall invited members of the public to join the call to hear the public proceedings. — The Oregonian/oregonlive Politics Team, oregonlive, "Oregon public records panel to meet Friday amid furor over who’s in charge," 12 Sep. 2019 The Quinnipiac poll was conducted Sept. 4-9, with 1,410 registered voters in Texas questioned by live telephone operators. — Fox News, "O’Rourke polling in third place in native Texas on eve of Houston debate," 11 Sep. 2019 In fact, under John Donovan, the AT&T executive who runs its telephone business, AT&T has been a leader in working re-training. — Adam Lashinsky, Fortune, "Can AT&T Do Good and Reward Shareholders?—Data Sheet," 10 Sep. 2019 The government also announced a telephone hotline where Bahamians can call to report family members who have been unaccounted for since the storm. — Washington Post, "The Latest: Dorian death toll rises to 44 in Bahamas," 10 Sep. 2019 The first commercially available telephone answering machine. — Rick Romell, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Forget beer. Exhibition shows it was mastery of machinery that made Milwaukee hum.," 9 Sep. 2019 The poll was conducted by telephone Sept. 2-5 among a random national sample of US adults. — Scott Clement, BostonGlobe.com, "Poll shows Biden maintaining lead in Democratic race," 8 Sep. 2019 The news of the contaminant comes from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which shared the information with state officials in a telephone briefing this week, The Washington Post reported. — Yasemin Saplakoglu, Scientific American, "Contaminant That May Be Causing the Mysterious Vaping-Related Illnesses Found," 6 Sep. 2019 After he was kidnapped, Teasley was forced to telephone the girlfriend. — Edmund H. Mahony, courant.com, "Judge reverses jury, clears Hartford man of kidnapping charge in phony drug deal murder," 6 Sep. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Played with winning, tough-talking charisma by Spencer, Tracy berates Vic for his endless delays and detours, at one point telephoning his employer, who is already barking orders at him over the radio. — Los Angeles Times, "Review: ‘Give Me Liberty’ is a brilliant madcap farce on wheels," 29 Aug. 2019 Currently, customers who telephone Spirit and who are placed on hold have the option to enter into text conversations with agents who are online. — David Lyons, sun-sentinel.com, "Spirit Airlines to offer customers text message option for booking flights," 27 Aug. 2019 The auction expired with no bids and later Tomb telephoned the seller in Florida to see whether the car was still for sale. — Vern Parker, Houston Chronicle, "1911 Chase a symbol of family history," 16 Aug. 2019 For more information on the project, residents or travelers are advised to telephone the Precinct 3 Commissioner’s Office at 281-367-3977. — Jeff Forward, Houston Chronicle, "2 westbound lanes on Woodlands Parkway closed," 5 Aug. 2019 Dixon meddled in an important instant-replay decision, telephoning in from his home to overrule the crew at the stadium. — oregonlive.com, "Canzano: Pac-12 Conference media day needed one more football coach," 24 July 2019 Now suggest that your keyboard-typing agent go offline and telephone the seller’s agent to get an explanation. — Pat Kapowich, The Mercury News, "Sponsored: Buyers’ higher bid didn’t win them the house; time to change agent?," 4 July 2019 German commanders in the invasion area telephoned for permission to bring up the First Panzer Corps, which was northwest of Paris. — Time, "Inside General Eisenhower’s Sleepless Night Ahead of the D-Day Invasion," 6 June 2019 Preparations for the mini-summit in Washington were in high gear when Pompeo telephoned Indian Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj and canceled Thursday's meeting. — Joanna Slater, Washington Post, "Mike Pompeo was supposed to meet with his Indian counterpart. He went to North Korea instead.," 6 July 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'telephone.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for telephone
telephone
noun
English Language Learners Definition of telephone
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a system that uses wires and radio signals to send sounds (such as people's voices) over long distances
: a device that is connected to a telephone system and that you use to listen or speak to someone who is somewhere else
telephone
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of telephone (Entry 2 of 2)
: to speak or try to speak to (someone) using a telephone : to call or phone (someone)
See the full definition for telephone in the English Language Learners Dictionary
telephone
noun
tele·phone
| \ ˈte-lə-ˌfōn
\
\
Kids Definition of telephone
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a device for transmitting and receiving sounds over long distances
telephone
verb
telephoned;
telephoning
Kids Definition of telephone (Entry 2 of 2)
: to speak to by telephone