phone

verb

Definition of phonenext
as in to dial
to make a telephone call to she phoned her friend to invite her over for dinner

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of phone Ripa phoned into the show to defend herself, and the discussion shifted to Aiken's sexuality. — Janelle Ash, FOXNews.com, 26 June 2026 Prior to having a conversation with Carmy about franchising, Ebraheim phones Albert for a pep talk. — Erin Jensen, USA Today, 26 June 2026 According to the petition, the fight escalated, and Will Robinson phoned the police while Sandoval hid inside a spare bedroom. — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2026 The receptionist, who refused to give his name, recalled phoning Oakland police at least 10 times in the last six months to report prostitution and trafficking among hotel guests, and said other staff have called dozens of additional times. — Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 25 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for phone
Recent Examples of Synonyms for phone
  1. dial
  2. call
  3. telephone
Verb
  • Smith dialed back his drinking and increased his protein consumption as part of his lifestyle overhaul.
    — Latoya Gayle, PEOPLE, 4 July 2026
  • At Dave & Buster's Times Square location in New York City, general manager Steve Friedl and his team are dialing up the energy to create the ultimate holiday memories.
    — Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2026
Definition of dial
Verb
  • The company, which calls itself the largest and fastest-growing Asian restaurant company in the world, also added chicken nuggets to its menu on Thursday, July 2.
    — Mike Snider, USA Today, 5 July 2026
  • Mauney, widely seen as the best rider of his generation and someone who braved the hardest bulls to ride, had to retire in 2023 after a neck break on a bull called Arctic Assassin.
    — Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 5 July 2026
Definition of call
Verb
  • The average taxpayer who telephoned the IRS during tax season this year spent 14 minutes on hold, the advocate reports.
    — Daniel de Visé, USA Today, 27 June 2026
  • Albert telephoned Breen right after.
    — Andrew Marchand, New York Times, 29 May 2026
Definition of telephone

Browse Nearby Words

phobic
phone
phoned
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Phone.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phone. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on phone

Nglish: Translation of phone for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All