on the telephone
idiom
1
: using a telephone to talk to someone
He came to the door while I was on the telephone.
2
British
: connected to a telephone system
the percentage of households on the telephone
Examples of on the telephone in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
By filming Mullin speaking to his performance coach about his axing in a coffee shop as Palmer chats to his father, Andy, on the telephone, the producers got far more than would surely have been the case with a more formal interview to camera.
—
Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 27 June 2025
Getting a customer service agent on the telephone can take a while.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2025
Then there’s a fun game of telephone, on the telephone.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 23 Mar. 2025
To my surprise, Fowler said Giovanni had agreed to speak with me on the telephone.
—Jenisha Watts, The Atlantic, 14 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for on the telephone
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Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 27 June 2025
Getting a customer service agent on the telephone can take a while.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2025
Then there’s a fun game of telephone, on the telephone.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 23 Mar. 2025
To my surprise, Fowler said Giovanni had agreed to speak with me on the telephone.
—Jenisha Watts, The Atlantic, 14 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for on the telephone
Cite this Entry
“On the telephone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on%20the%20telephone. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
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