phone

phone¹ W2S1 [fəun US foun] n

[Date: 1800-1900; Origin: telephone]

1.) a telephone

▪ Louise got up to answer the phone .

▪ She's too busy to come to the phone right now. Can you call back later?

▪ What's your phone number ?

▪ The phone rang . It was Pam.

▪ Before he could answer, the phone went dead .

▪ a secret tape of Diana's phone conversations

▪ 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

= ↑receiver

▪ She picked up the phone and dialled.

▪ Jean put the phone down (=after she had finished her conversation) and burst out laughing.

▪ He put the phone down on me (=before I had finished speaking) .

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COLLOCATES for sense 1

answer the phone

come to the phone

phone number

the phone rings

the phone goes dead (=you can no longer hear the person you were speaking to on the telephone)

phone conversation

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

on the phone (=speaking on the telephone)

off the phone (=no longer using the telephone)

phone company

mobile phone/mobile British English

cellphone/cellular phone especially AmE

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phone ²

phone² S1 also phone up v [I and T]

to speak to someone by telephone

= ↑telephone

▪ I'll phone you this evening.

▪ Why didn't they phone the police?

▪ For information phone [phone].

▪ 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.

see usage note ↑call¹

phone in phr v

1.) to telephone the place where you work, especially in order to report something

▪ I'll phone in and let them know.

phone sth<=>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

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HINT sense 1

You do not 'phone to' someone or 'phone to' a number. Phone is followed immediately by a noun: She phoned her friend Judy. |Just phone [phone] and I'll come and get you.

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