noun
phone
FOHN
noun
1
A device used to talk to someone over a distance, especially a mobile device that also runs apps.
"She left her phone at home and had to go back for it."
"Can I borrow your phone to make a quick call?"
verb
1
To call someone using a telephone.
"I'll phone you as soon as I land."
"He phoned the office to say he'd be late."
How to Use Phone
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA telephone, or the act of calling someone on one.
Common pairings
phone someone
answer the phone
on the phone
Word Forms
phoned past tense, phones plural, phones plural, phones singular
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She left her _____ at home and had to go back for it.
Etymology
A shortening of "telephone," first recorded in this clipped form in 1884; "telephone" itself combines Greek tele- ("far") and phone ("sound").