telephone

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A device that lets people speak to each other over long distances by sending voices through wires or radio signals.

   Grammar: Countable: you can say a telephone, the telephone, or telephones.

   Patterns

   • by telephone
   • on the telephone
   • answer the telephone
   • a telephone call

   She picked up the telephone and dialed his number.

   We spoke by telephone because he was working abroad.

   The telephone rang three times before someone answered.

2. 2noununcountable

   The system or service used for making voice calls.

   Grammar: Uncountable when it means the network or service: the telephone, by telephone.

   Patterns

   • by telephone
   • over the telephone
   • on the telephone

   The company does most of its business by telephone.

   You can reach me by telephone after six.

   In those days, news traveled by telephone and telegram.

3. 3verbtransitiveformal

   To call someone using a telephone.

   Grammar: Takes an object: telephone someone. More formal than 'call' or 'phone'.

   Patterns

   • telephone someone
   • telephone to do something

   She telephoned her mother to say she had arrived safely.

   Please telephone the office if you need to change your appointment.

   He telephoned the police immediately after the accident.

Word forms

Common combinations

answer the telephone

Could you answer the telephone while I finish this email?

by telephone

We arranged the meeting by telephone.

on the telephone

She's on the telephone with a client right now.

telephone call

I received a telephone call from the bank this morning.

telephone number

Please write your telephone number at the top of the form.

telephone line

The storm damaged the telephone lines.

Synonyms and how they differ

phone

The everyday short form; use it in casual speech and writing, while 'telephone' sounds more formal.

mobile

A phone you carry with you; 'telephone' usually suggests a fixed device or the general system.

landline

A telephone connected by wires to a fixed place, not a mobile phone.

handset

The part you hold to your ear, not the whole system.

Word family

telephony noun

The technology or business of sending voices by telephone.

telephonic adjective

Relating to or done by telephone.

telephonist noun

A person whose job is to answer and make telephone calls, especially in an office.

Commonly confused: telephone or telegraph? telephone or phonetic?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “telephone”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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