tele·phone
ˈte-lə-ˌfōn 
plural telephones
: a device by which sound (such as speech) is converted into electrical impulses and transmitted (as by wire or radio waves) to one or more specific receivers (see receiver sense d(1)) : phone
The telephone rang.
We spoke by telephone.
a telephone call
: such as
a
: a telephone that operates by means of a landline
… an old-fashioned corded telephone. The kind that plugs right into the wall phone jack.—
Eliot Kleinberg
Eliot Kleinberg
b
: cell phone
In a day when most of us have a telephone in our back pocket … the need for a pay phone no longer exists.—Paul Connor
Paul Connor
telephoned; telephoning
: to communicate by telephone
telephoner
noun
Examples of telephone in a Sentence
Noun
I just have to make a quick telephone call before we leave.
You can order the cake over the telephone.
The telephone has been ringing all morning!
She picked up the telephone and dialed the number.
He slammed down the telephone.
They hired someone to answer the telephones.
All our telephones are cordless.
I left the telephone off the hook.
Verb
He telephoned me to say that he was going to be late.
He telephoned to say that he was going to be late.
You never write or telephone.
Recent Examples on the Web
Melik Kaylan, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
Back then, a small team of volunteers worked a telephone hotline in the closet of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbians Community Service Center, fielding calls from panicked residents seeking answers about what was then a fatal disease for which there was no treatment.
—Tyrone Beason
follow, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2025
Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 4 June 2025
Long wait times became a self-fulfilling prophecy In recent weeks, news of the turmoil at Social Security mobilized fretful Americans to telephone or visit the agency, seeding further chaos.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for telephone
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Azeri leader President Aliyev spurned a telephone call offer from Putin while accepting one from Ukraine’s Zelensky.
—Melik Kaylan, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
Back then, a small team of volunteers worked a telephone hotline in the closet of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbians Community Service Center, fielding calls from panicked residents seeking answers about what was then a fatal disease for which there was no treatment.
—Tyrone Beason
follow, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2025
Verb
After receiving complaints about prostitution, Capt. John Scott telephoned the business and spoke with an unknown man, according to court documents.
—Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 4 June 2025
Long wait times became a self-fulfilling prophecy In recent weeks, news of the turmoil at Social Security mobilized fretful Americans to telephone or visit the agency, seeding further chaos.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for telephone
Cite this Entry
“Telephone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/telephone. Accessed 20 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
telephone
1 of 2 noun
tele·phone
ˈtel-ə-ˌfōn
: any of several devices for transmitting and receiving sounds over long distances by electricity
telephone
2 of 2 verb
telephoned; telephoning
1
: to communicate by telephone
2
: to send by telephone
3
: to speak to by telephone
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share