I. phone 1 S1 W2 /fəʊn $ foʊn/ BrE AmE 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 SYN receiver :
He put the phone down on me (=ended the call before I had finished speaking) .
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COLLOCATIONS (for Meanings 1 & 2)
■ verbs
▪ 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.
■ phone + NOUN
▪ 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.
■ phrases
▪ 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.
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THESAURUS
▪ phone ( also telephone formal ):
My wife was talking to someone on the phone.
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What's your home phone number?
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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.
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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.
II. phone 2 S1 BrE AmE ( 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
phone in phrasal verb
1 . to telephone the place where you work, especially in order to report something:
I’ll phone in and let them know.
phone something ↔ in
I’ll phone the report in tomorrow morning.
She phoned in sick (=telephoned to say that she was ill and could not come to work) .
2 . to telephone a radio or television show to give your opinion or ask a question:
There’s still time to phone in before the end of the programme.
⇨ ↑ phone-in