Meaning & use
telephone mast
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountableBritish
a tall structure with antennas that sends and receives signals for mobile phones
Grammar: Countable: use a/an or a plural form, e.g. a telephone mast, two telephone masts.
Patterns
- a telephone mast
- put up a telephone mast
- near a telephone mast
There is a telephone mast on the hill behind our village.
The company wants to build a new telephone mast near the school.
My phone signal improved after they put up a telephone mast nearby.
Word forms
| plural | telephone masts |
|---|
Common combinations
- put up a telephone mast
- The workers put up a telephone mast in just two days.
- a telephone mast near something
- They are planning a telephone mast near the park.
- a mobile phone mast
- A mobile phone mast can be hidden inside a church tower.
- the base of a telephone mast
- A fence was built around the base of the telephone mast.
Synonyms and how they differ
- cell tower
- Use this in American English; it means the same kind of structure for mobile phone signals.
- base station
- This is a more technical term for the equipment, which may or may not be on a tall mast.
Commonly confused: telephone mast or telephone pole?
telephone mast vs telephone pole
A telephone pole (or telegraph pole) carries telephone wires and is usually made of wood; a telephone mast is taller and sends mobile phone signals.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'telephone mast' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A telephone mast is a structure that helps send mobile phone signals, so 'built a telephone mast to improve the mobile signal' is correct. The other options describe actions or qualities that do not fit a tall signal structure.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “telephone mast”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.