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to phone

to phone

204 1.0
To call someone by telephone
  • verb
  • /foʊn/
translation icon : llamar a
  • "You want me to phone you tomorrow, Lucius?" I asked as they headed out.
  • phone a friend
  • phone your mother
  • phone for help

Once in a while I'll phone him, see how things are going.

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Examples

  • "Your daughter Julia phoned while you were in church," Manuel said to her.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Then I could phone room service.

    The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)

  • I would love to phone up our friend.

  • So in the space of four weeks, we phone him four times.

    Liam Tuffs

  • I think I better phone the Governor.

    The Front Page (1974)

  • Once in a while I'll phone him, see how things are going.

    Evan Carmichael

  • If we had a problem, we could phone a friend who was a scientist.

    Academic text (2014)

  • After a few days, I phoned John's home in hopes of getting information about him.

    Academic text (1992)

  • However, Leanne was short of money, so she phoned her mum to see if she had any helpful ideas.

    Academic text (2018)

  • I phoned my sister yesterday to ask about her vacation plans.

Synonyms

to call
vsto phone
∞ 1.0

To phone someone to speak with them

restricts this idea to voice contact over a direct line rather than all channels
to contact
vsto phone
∞ 2.5

To communicate with someone by phone or writing

focuses specifically on using voice over a direct line instead of other channels
to reach
vsto phone
∞ 1.3

Make contact with someone by phone or email

is limited to using voice over a direct line rather than all contact methods
call me
vsto phone
829 1.3

To ask someone to phone you

names the general action of contacting by voice rather than being a request phrase
to ring
vsto phone
  • UK
294 1.0

To call someone on the phone

means attempting voice contact specifically rather than using other communication forms
to call up
vsto phone
209 2.5

To phone someone

is about making contact by voice over a direct line rather than other ways
to make a call
vsto phone
93 1.0

To phone someone

refers to using voice over a direct line instead of other methods
to get hold of
vsto phone
36 3.0

To reach someone by phone or message

is about attempting voice contact rather than the success or outcome of it
to telephone
vsto phone
20 1.0

To call someone to speak with them

focuses on contacting by voice over a direct line rather than other media
to ping
vsto phone
  • Texting
10 4.1

To send someone a short electronic message to get their attention

is about longer or direct voice contact rather than brief electronic pings
to give a ring
vsto phone
1 2.2

To phone someone

covers voice contact in general, not only brief or informal attempts

Antonyms

to ignore
∞ 1.0

Choose not to pay attention to someone or something

Idioms

on the phone
∞ 1.0

Talking to someone using a telephone

to hold the phone
  • Informal
8 8.2

Tell someone to wait so you can check or explain something

more chins than a Chinese phone book
  • Offensive
9.9

A person who has many chins because they gained weight

Phrasal Verbs

to charge my phone
3 1.0

Plug a phone into a charger to make the battery work again

Compounds

phone call
∞ 1.0

A time when you talk to someone by telephone

phone number
393 1.0

A set of numbers people use to call each other

phone company
75 1.7

A company that provides phone service to people

pay-phone
  • Archaic
75 2.0

A public phone you use by putting coins or a card in it

phone line
73 1.6

A wire that carries telephone calls between two places

phone book
  • Archaic
60 1.0

A book with people's names, addresses, and numbers to call listed alphabetically

mobile phone
58 1.0

A small telephone you carry to call, text, and go online

phone bill
44 1.0

A list that shows charges for phone calls and service for a month

phone booth
  • Archaic
42 1.5

A small enclosed space with a public phone for private calls

cellular phone
  • US
35 2.3

A portable phone people carry to call or send messages

phone service
24 1.1

A service that lets people make and receive calls

phone message
19 1.0

A short voice recording someone leaves on a phone when the person cannot answer

phone system
9 2.7

A system that sends voice over wires or the internet

phone card
  • Archaic
6 2.1

A small card you buy to pay for phone calls from public phones or when traveling

phone cord
4 1.9

A coiled wire that connects a phone handset to its base

phone tag
  • Informal
3 5.1

People keep calling each other but always miss the calls

phone jack
1 3.4

A socket on a wall where you plug a telephone to connect it

extension phone
1 3.0

An extra phone on the same line to use in another room

dial phone
  • Archaic
1 6.8

A telephone with a round wheel you turn to enter numbers

phone-in
  • Literature
1 3.8

A radio or TV show where people call in to speak and ask questions

crappy phone
  • NSFW
1 6.5

A mobile phone that is low quality and often works poorly

desk phone
1 1.7

A telephone that sits on a desk with a handset and buttons

phone monkey
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who answers many phone calls to help customers in a call center

phone plug
1 3.2

A small part you push into a wall socket to connect a telephone

door phone
  • Indian
4.2

A device at a building entrance that lets people inside talk to visitors outside before opening the door

doorbell phone
4.4

A system that lets a person at the door talk to a person inside

banana phone
7.7

A toy or real banana used like a phone for fun

Jesus phone
  • Slang
9.9

A mobile phone, often an iPhone, that many people want and treat as special

orinasal phone
  • Specialized
9.9

A sound you make when air flows through both the mouth and the nose, like some French vowels

phone tapper
8.9

A person who secretly listens to other people's phone calls

phone zombie
  • Offensive
8.5

A person who looks at their phone and ignores people and things around them

How Direct

to call in
117 3.2
to phone
204 1.0
email
  • Texting
724 1.0
to send a message
  • Informal
81 3.4

Surface Forms

phone infinitive
phoned past
phoned past participle
phoning present participle
phones third person singular

Etymology

To phone someone comes from telephone, with tele- 'far' and phon- 'sound'. So to phone is to send your voice to someone far away — in other words, to call them.