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 ▲