phone

I UK [fəʊn] / US [foʊn] noun
Word forms "phone":
singular phone plural phones
***

[countable] a telephone

May I use the phone in your office?

The phone rang five times in the next hour.

answer the phone:

I rang his house but his mother answered the phone (= picked it up when it rang).

a) [singular] the system for speaking to someone on the telephone

on the phone (= talking using the telephone):

Our teenagers spend hours on the phone every day.

by phone/over the phone (= using the telephone):

We take orders by phone or by email.

b) [singular] the part of a telephone that you speak into

pick up/put down the phone:

She picked up the phone but didn't speak.

put the phone down on someone (= suddenly end your telephone conservation with someone):

Don't you dare put the phone down on me!

••

See:

cell phone

II UK [fəʊn] / US [foʊn] verb [intransitive/transitive]
Word forms "phone":
present tense I/you/we/they phone he/she/it phones present participle phoning past tense phoned past participle phoned
**

phone or phone up to use a telephone to call someone

Phone me if you have any questions.

Phrasal verbs:

- phone back

- phone in

- phone round

- phone through

- phone up