I.
noun ⇨ See also ↑ telephone
ADJECTIVE
▪ cell (usually cellphone ) ( esp. AmE ), cellular ( esp. AmE ), mobile ( BrE )
▪ pay (usually payphone ) , public
▪
There's a public payphone in reception.
▪ office
▪ home , private
▪
I called his cellphone and then his home ~.
▪ landline
▪ car
▪ cordless
▪ hands-free , speaker (usually speakerphone )
▪
I switched over to speakerphone.
▪ digital
▪ satellite
▪ camera
▪ clamshell ( BrE ), flip ( AmE )
▪ 3G ( BrE ), Bluetooth™ , smart (usually smartphone ) , VoIP (= Voice over Internet Protocol) , WAP , Web-enabled , wireless ( esp. AmE ), etc.
VERB + PHONE
▪ be on
▪
She's on the ~ at the moment.
▪ use
▪
Can I use your ~?
▪ call (sb on)
▪
I called his cellphone but no one answered.
▪
He called me on my mobile ~.
▪ answer , get ( informal ), grab ( informal ), lift , pick up
▪
If the ~ rings, don't answer it.
▪
Can you get the ~?
▪
I grabbed the ~ and called Josie's number.
▪ hang up , put down , replace
▪
I hung up the ~ when he started shouting at me.
▪ slam down
▪
She slammed the ~ down in a rage.
▪ cradle , hold
▪
She cradled the ~ between her ear and shoulder.
▪
a £30 fine if caught holding a ~ while driving
▪ be wanted on
▪
Dad, you're wanted on the ~.
▪ call sb to
▪
He was called to the ~ just as he was leaving.
▪ connect
▪ disconnect , unplug
▪ bug , tap
▪
I think our ~ is being tapped.
▪ wait by
▪
She waits by the ~ all day but he doesn't call.
▪ leave off the hook , take off the hook
▪
I couldn't get through because you'd left the ~ off the hook.
▪ switch off , switch on , turn off , turn on
▪
Please switch off all mobile ~s.
▪
I turned on my ~.
PHONE + VERB
▪ go ( esp. BrE ), go off , ring , vibrate
▪
My mobile ~ went off during the movie.
▪
Vincent's cell ~ vibrated in his pocket.
▪ ring off the hook
▪
The ~ was ringing off the hook ( = ringing continuously ).
▪ be busy ( esp. AmE ), be engaged ( BrE )
▪
The ~ was busy when I called.
▪
His ~ is almost permanently engaged.
▪ be off the hook
▪ go dead
▪
The ~ suddenly went dead in the middle of our conversation.
PHONE + NOUN
▪ number
▪ book , directory
▪ bill
▪ call , conversation , interview , message
▪ user
▪ operator
▪ card (usually phonecard )
▪ company , network , service
▪ bank ( esp. AmE )
▪
She was working a ~ bank for the Democrats.
▪ booth , box ( BrE )
▪ line
▪
The modem links the computer to a ~ line.
▪ keypad
▪ handset , receiver
▪
the modern business of selling ~ handsets
▪
I picked up the ~ receiver and pressed it to my ear.
▪ cord
▪ charger
▪
I've lost my ~ charger.
▪ records
▪
The search of the ~ records yielded nothing.
PREPOSITION
▪ by ~
▪
We keep in contact by ~ but we rarely see each other.
▪ on the ~
▪
We spoke on the ~ the other day.
▪ over the ~
▪
I haven't seen her but we spoke over the ~.
II.
verb
Phone is used with these nouns as the subject: ↑ viewer
Phone is used with these nouns as the object: ↑ ambulance , fire brigade, ↑ hotline , ↑ number , ↑ reception