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Glite Dictionary
phone line

phone line

73 1.6
A wire that carries telephone calls between two places
  • noun
translation icon : línea telefónica
  • Chen hears the voices through the phone line and realizes something's not right.
  • a cable or a phone line
  • computers over phone lines
  • software updates over phone lines

Put the phone down and then the Internet and phone line died.

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Examples

  • "Well," he said, his voice crackling over the phone line, "it's about time."

    Fiction book (1993)

  • I called the customer service number, and my call was routed to the phone line without any issues.

  • I heard please add a second phone line to my account.

  • How do I discuss this over an open phone line?

    Miami Vice (2006)

  • The phone line is open.

    Disclosure (1994)

  • The phone line from outside was dead, of course, because of the storm, but the internal line remained clear.

    A Haunting in Venice (2023)

  • In the old days, we actually had to tap a wire into your phone line.

    Enemy of the State (1998)

  • We're renovating, the phone lines are a mess.

    Home Alone 3 (1997)

  • Cooped up New Yorkers are flooding lawyer phone lines with divorce inquiries, with an avalanche of filings expected once the courts reopen.

  • Please check if the phone line is working before making the call.

Synonyms

line
vsphone line
∞ 3.2

A connection that carries phone or internet signals

is specifically a connection for transmitting calls between locations
landline
vsphone line
38 3.3

A phone that uses wires to connect, not a mobile network

is any connection for signals regardless of mobile or wired delivery
telephone line
vsphone line
13 1.8

A wire that carries voices so people can call each other

is the general term for a connection carrying those signals
telephone wire
vsphone line
4 2.4

A thin metal line that carries phone calls

is any connection, not only a single physical conductor
wireline
vsphone line
  • Specialized
2 7.2

A cable that carries data or phone signals

is the specific telephone connection between two locations rather than general cables
subscriber line
vsphone line
  • Specialized
1 4.0

A telephone wire that connects a home or building to the local phone exchange

is the broader connection between locations, not only to the exchange
telephone circuit
vsphone line
  • Specialized
4.0

A connection that carries voice calls between two places

is the direct connection allowing signals between two locations

How Clear

phone line
73 1.6
line noise
  • Specialized
6.7

Surface Forms

phone line singular
phone lines plural

Morphology

phone + line

The meaning 'a connection that allows telephone signals to be transmitted' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'phone' (telephone device) with 'line' (a channel or connection). This noun–noun compound follows a regular, cross-linguistically common composition pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand it.

Etymology

The noun phone line comes from a time when telephones were joined by a single wire, a real line running between houses so voices could travel. Because the wire carried the sound, phone line now means the 'connection' that lets you make a 'phone call'.