phone
[noun]
Synonyms:
- telephone, blower (informal)
- call, ring (informal, chiefly Brit.), tinkle (Brit. informal)
[verb]
Synonyms:
- call, get on the blower (informal), give someone a call, give someone a ring (informal, chiefly Brit.), give someone a tinkle (Brit. informal), make a call, ring (up) (informal, chiefly Brit.), telephone

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English Thesaurus: phone, mobile phone, cell phone, voice mail, text message, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

-phone /fəʊn $ foʊn/ suffix
[Language: Greek; Origin: -phonos 'sounding', from phone; phon-]

1. [in nouns] an instrument or machine relating to sound or hearing, especially a musical instrument:
earphones (=for listening to a radio etc)
a saxophone

2. [in nouns] technical someone who speaks a particular language:
a Francophone (=someone who speaks French)

3. [in adjectives] speaking a particular language:
Francophone nations (=nations where French is spoken)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

I. phone¹ S1 W2 /fəʊn $ foʊn/ noun [countable]
[Date: 1800-1900; Origin: telephone]

1. a telephone:
Much of his work is done by phone.
Who was that on the phone?
I wish Amy would get off the phone. ⇒ cellphone, mobile phone, pay phone

2. the part of a telephone into which you speak Synonym : receiver:
He put the phone down on me (=ended the call before I had finished speaking).

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. phone² S1 (also phone up) verb [intransitive and transitive]
to speak to someone by telephone:
I’ll phone you this evening.
Why didn’t they phone the police?
For information phone 8279–3772.
Stevie phoned to say that he was going to be late.
I kept phoning her up, asking to meet her.
Tell him to phone back (=telephone again at a later time) tomorrow.
► You do not ‘phone to’ someone or ‘phone to’ a number. Phone is followed immediately by a noun or number: She phoned her friend Judy. | Phone 01279–623772 and ask to speak to Elaine.
⇒ phone-in

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

phone
noun
ADJ. cellular, cordless, mobile, portable | car | pay (also payphone), public There's a public payphone in reception.
office, private
VERB + PHONE be on She's on the phone at the moment.
use Can I use your phone?
answer, get (informal), lift, pick up If the phone rings, don't answer it. Can you get the phone?
hang up, put down, replace I hung up the phone when he started shouting at me.
slam down She slammed the phone down in a rage.
be wanted on Mum, you're wanted on the phone.
call sb to He was called to the phone just as he was leaving.
connect | disconnect | bug, tap I think our phone is being tapped.
wait by She waits by the phone all day but he doesn't ring.
leave/take off the hook I couldn't get through because you'd left the phone off the hook.
PHONE + VERB ring | be engaged His phone is engaged.
be off the hook | go dead The phone suddenly went dead in the middle of our conversation.
PHONE + NOUN number | book | bill | call, conversation, message | card (also phonecard) | company, network, service | booth, box | line The modem links the computer to a phone line.
PREP. by ~ We keep in contact by phone but we rarely see each other.
on the ~ We spoke on the phone the other day.
over the ~ I haven't seen her but we spoke over the phone.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

phone

use the phone
Do you mind if I use your phone?
the phone rings
Around three o'clock, the phone rang.
answer the phone (also pick up the phone)
My dad answered the phone.
put the phone down
I only remembered his name after I had put the phone down.
slam the phone down (=put it down hard, because you are angry)
I was so mad I just slammed the phone down.
talk/speak (to somebody) on the phone
We talk on the phone every day.
We spoke earlier on the phone, if you remember.
come to the phone
I’m sorry, she can’t come to the phone right now.
be on the phone to somebody (=be talking to someone on the phone)
I was on the phone to my mother all morning.
be wanted on the phone
Larry, tell Rosemary that she’s wanted on the phone.
call somebody on the phone
I called her on the phone and invited her to Las Vegas.
get on the phone to somebody (=call them)
We got on the phone to the hospital straight away.
a phone number
Can I have your phone number?
a phone line (=a telephone wire or connection)
Listeners jammed the phone lines, demanding to hear the song.
a phone bill (=a bill for phone calls)
Our last phone bill was huge.
a phone company (=one that provides a telephone service)
I switched phone companies.
a phone conversation
Neither man denies the phone conversation took place.
the phone is busy (also the phone is engaged British English) (=the person you are calling is already speaking to someone else)
I tried you earlier, but your phone was engaged.
the phone goes/is dead (=the phone line stops working or is not working)
Before he could reply, the phone suddenly went dead.
the phone is off the hook (=it cannot be used because it is not connected or is already being used)
On Friday nights we just take the phone off the hook and relax.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

phone
I.
verb
BAD: She phoned to the hospital to ask about her husband.
GOOD: She phoned the hospital to ask about her husband.
BAD: Just phone to 555-879 and I'll come and get you.
GOOD: Just phone 555-879 and I'll come and get you.

Usage Note:
phone/telephone/ring/call a person/place/number (WITHOUT to ): 'You must promise to phone me as soon as you get there.'
Note that speakers of American English do not use ring for this meaning.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

phone
II.
noun
BAD: I talked to him for a long time by phone last night.
GOOD: I talked to him for a long time on/over the phone last night.

Usage Note:
In British English the phrase is (talk/speak to sb) on/over the phone (NOT by phone ): 'He didn't want to discuss it over the phone.'
Note that in American English both by phone and on/over the phone are used, although by phone is not common.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

phone (also telephone formal):
My wife was talking to someone on the phone.
What's your home phone number?
The nearest telephone was in the school secretary's office.
mobile phone British English (also mobile informal) a telephone that you can carry with you, that works by using a network of radio stations to pass on signals:
Even children as young as eight have mobile phones.
She always has her mobile switched off.
cell phone American English (also cell informal) a mobile phone:
You can reach me on my cell phone.
voice mail a system that records messages so that you can listen to them on your phone:
Let me check my voice mail.
text message (also text, SMS) a message from someone that you can read on your mobile phone:
I got a text from Paul.
landline a telephone that uses wires – used when comparing this with a mobile phone:
Calls cost 25p from a landline, more from a mobile phone.
receiver the part of a telephone that you pick up to listen and talk:
She put down the receiver and started crying.
call to phone someone. Call is used in both British and American English:
One of the neighbors called the police.
Call me later.
ring British English spoken to phone someone. Ring is more informal than phone or call:
I can ring her at the office tomorrow.
give somebody a call (also give somebody a ring) spoken to phone someone:
If you ever come to Seattle, give me a call.
I’ll give the hospital a ring and see how he is.
telephone formal to phone someone:
Angry listeners telephoned the BBC to complain.
Skype /skaɪp/ trademark to make a telephone call using special software that allows you to make calls over the Internet:
I Skyped her last night and we spoke for hours.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

phone to speak to someone by telephone. Phone is more common in British English than American English:
I’ll phone you tomorrow.
call to phone someone. Call is used in both British and American English:
One of the neighbors called the police.
Call me later.
ring British English spoken to phone someone. Ring is more informal than phone or call:
I can ring her at the office tomorrow.
give somebody a call (also give somebody a ring) spoken to phone someone:
If you ever come to Seattle, give me a call.
I’ll give the hospital a ring and see how he is.
telephone formal to phone someone:
Angry listeners telephoned the BBC to complain.
Skype /skaɪp/ trademark to make a telephone call using special software that allows you to make calls over the Internet:
I Skyped her last night and we spoke for hours.
make a call
He made a few calls and then went out.
get/have a call (also receive a call formal)
At 11 in the evening we got a call from the police.
there is/was a call
There was a phone call for you.
answer a call
We’re sorry that we cannot answer your call right now.
take a call (=answer one)
Monica took the call upstairs.
return sb’s call (=call someone after they have tried to call you)
I left a message for her but she didn’t return my call.
expect a call
She’s expecting a phone call from Matt.
transfer a call (=connect one to another person’s phone)
The call was transferred to his secretary.
put through a call (=transfer or make one)
She asked the switchboard to put the call through.
a phone/telephone call
I had a phone call from Barbara in Australia.
a quick call
This is just a quick call to make sure you’re OK.
a local call
Local calls are free at weekends.
a long-distance call
I’d like to make a long-distance call.
an international call
a collect call American English (=one paid for by the person who receives it)
Can I make a collect call to Florida, please?
incoming/outgoing calls (=coming into or going out of a place)
You have to dial 9 first to make an outgoing call.
an emergency call (=to the police, fire service, or ambulance service)
The police normally respond immediately to an emergency call.
a hoax call (=one intended to trick someone)
They received a hoax call warning of a bomb in the building.
an anonymous call (=in which the caller does not give their name)
The £10,000 demand was made in an anonymous call to his home.
a crank call (=made by someone you do not know, as a joke or to annoy you)
The heavy breathing sounded like a crank call.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲