/fəʊ̯n/, /foʊ̯n/
OriginFrom Ancient Greek φωνή (phōnḗ, “sound”).
- A device for transmitting conversations and other sounds in real time across distances, now often a small portable unit also capable of running software etc.
“Daragh's on the phone at the moment. He'll call you when he's finished.”
“My phone ran out of battery.”
“There's an old-fashioned phone in the doctor's waiting room - it doesn't work anymore, of course.”
- colloquialA person's telephone number (as a means of contact); digits.
“It was a clear black night, a clear white moon / Warren G was on the streets tryin' to consume / Some skirts for the eve so I can get some phones / Rollin' in my ride, chillin' all alone”
- A speech segment that possesses distinct physical or perceptual properties, considered as a physical event without regard to its place in the phonology of a language.
- ambitransitiveTo call (someone) using a telephone.
“Phone me as soon as you land at the airport.”
“Her father told her to phone him to pick her up in case it started raining heavily.”
“It wasn’t like he was dying to get it off his chest. I think he only phoned because he knew how excited I’d be to hear about it.”
Formsphones(plural) · 'phone(alternative, dated) · phones(present, singular, third-person) · phoning(participle, present) · phoned(participle, past) · phoned(past)