cell phone

noun

variants or less commonly cellphone
ˈsel-ˌfōn How to pronounce cell phone (audio)
plural cell phones also cellphones
: a portable usually cordless telephone for use in a cellular system

Examples of cell phone in a Sentence

Call me on my cell phone.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Sullivan rejected a defense request to examine the cell phone of the holdout juror in the case last week. — Chris Spargo, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2026 First, customers would be tracked within the store using facial recognition on store cameras, drones flying around the store or cell phone signals when you’re connected to the store’s Wi-Fi. — Evan Clark, Footwear News, 28 Oct. 2026 Even Say Nothing was set in the 1970s and ’80s, well before cell phones. — Joy Press, Vanity Fair, 28 Oct. 2026 Our world is now connected in the disconnected origins of quicker, faster media, from the cell phone to the mini-movie. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 28 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for cell phone

Word History

First Known Use

1983, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cell phone was in 1983

Rhymes for cell phone

See All Rhymes for cell phone

Browse Nearby Words

Cellosolve
cell phone
cell phone lot
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cell phone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cell%20phone. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

cell phone

noun
: a portable cellular telephone
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