phone system
9
2.7
- noun
- /foʊn ˈsɪstəm/
:
sistema telefónico
- By using the proper codes, we can link up with the commercial phone system and eventually complete the call.
Examples
-
I was 11 or 12 when the phone system came through the mountains where we lived.
Blog text (3) -
The court's copper-wire phone system needed an upgrade, and Willard-Jones has difficulty hearing.
Academic text (2003) -
A new version of the Windows Phone system is coming out, too.
Blog text (27) -
I know this because my phone system told me so.
Blog text (26) -
Talk about phone system innovations.
-
Most insurance companies have automated phone systems that direct the caller to the proper person.
Academic text (2002) -
BISD started with voice because many of the phone systems across the district were desperately in need of replacement.
Academic text (2007) -
The Midwest's phone system was still down, and it would remain down for the foreseeable future.
Fiction book (1996) -
The voice quality today on Internet phone systems is nearly indistinguishable from traditional phone lines, which need a complex wiring system.
Academic text (2005) -
The new phone system has significantly improved communication between departments in the company.
Synonyms
24
1.1
A service that lets people make and receive calls
22
3.0
A way to send and receive information between people or machines
8
1.9
A system that lets people make and receive phone calls
4
2.7
A way to let people talk to each other using phones when far apart
3
6.0
A system that sends people's voices over a distance by phone
1
3.3
A phone that uses radio signals so you can move while talking
A set of electronic networks and devices that sends information over long distances like phones or the internet
A network that carries phone calls and internet data over long distances
How Complex
4
2.7
- Specialized
9
2.7
- Specialized
1
3.7
73
1.6
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and compositionally derived from 'phone' (a device for calls) + 'system' (a collection of interacting components), yielding a system related to telephony. This noun‑noun compound follows a common and cross‑linguistic pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
Phone system comes from the image of many phone lines and machines joined together into one system. Long ago, people connected wires to make a voice travel from one place to another, so today it means 'a way to send sound or calls over a distance'.