phone.
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.
Meaning & usage
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.
A person's telephone number (as a means of contact); digits.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *kʷelh₁-der. Ancient Greek τῆλε (têle)lbor. French télé- Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂-der. Proto-Hellenic *pʰōnā́ Ancient Greek φωνή (phōnḗ)der. French -phone French téléphonebor. English telephoneclip. English phone Clipping of telephone; first attested in 1884.
To 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.
To say via telephone.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *kʷelh₁-der. Ancient Greek τῆλε (têle)lbor. French télé- Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂-der. Proto-Hellenic *pʰōnā́ Ancient Greek φωνή (phōnḗ)der. French -phone French téléphonebor. English telephoneclip. English phone Clipping of telephone; first attested in 1884.
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.
Where this word comes from
From Ancient Greek φωνή (phōnḗ, “sound”).
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.