doorbell phone
- noun
- /ˈdɔːrˌbɛl foʊn/
:
portero
- The new apartment complex installed a doorbell phone at every entrance for residents' security.
Examples
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She answered the doorbell phone to ask the delivery driver to leave the package at the door.
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Modern doorbell phones often include video capabilities in addition to audio communication.
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The doorbell phone rang loudly.
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I installed a new doorbell phone yesterday.
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The new apartment complex installed a doorbell phone at every entrance for residents' security.
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She answered the doorbell phone to ask the delivery driver to leave the package at the door.
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Modern doorbell phones often include video capabilities in addition to audio communication.
Synonyms
A device at a building entrance that lets people inside talk to visitors outside before opening the door
A telephone at a building entrance that lets people inside speak to visitors before letting them in
How Connected
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound combines two concrete, frequent nouns whose senses directly indicate function: 'doorbell' (device at a door) + 'phone' (audio/communication device). A B1 learner knowing both constituents can readily infer it is a phone or intercom system associated with a doorbell, so the meaning is compositional and non-idiomatic.
Etymology
Doorbell phone comes from joining doorbell and phone; imagine a small phone next to the doorbell so you can 'talk to someone at the door' from inside. So, it means a device that lets people inside speak with visitors at the door without opening it.