pay phone

noun

: a usually coin-operated public telephone

Examples of pay phone in a Sentence

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.
Twin looked at the pay phone, then down at the dead boy. — Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026 The lights came on about one hour a day, and the only phone was a pay phone. — Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2026 Schneider was in great voice, returning to the pay phone a time or two before the set was through. — Dina Kaur, AZCentral.com, 20 Feb. 2026 Emory occasionally sent money, and the brothers would walk to a pay phone to call him. — Heidi Blake, New Yorker, 8 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for pay phone

Word History

First Known Use

1936, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pay phone was in 1936

Rhymes for pay phone

See All Rhymes for pay phone

Browse Nearby Words

pay-per-view
pay phone
payr
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pay phone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pay%20phone. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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