# phone

Pronunciation: say "FOHN" US /foʊ̯n/, UK /fəʊ̯n/

## Noun

1. A device that sends voices and other sounds across distances in real time, now often a small portable unit that can also run software.
   - Simple: A small machine you use to talk to people far away or to send them messages.
   - _He keeps his phone on silent during meetings._
   - _Modern phones can run thousands of different apps._
3. A person's telephone number, used as a way to reach them. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: The set of numbers people use to call or text you.
   - _The sign-up sheet at the gym had spaces for name, email, and phone._
   - _Leave your name and phone at the front desk, and someone from the office will get back to you today._

## Verb

2. To contact someone by making a telephone call.
   - Simple: To make a telephone call to someone.
   - _She phoned her sister to share the news._
   - _Remember to phone the doctor about your test results._

## Other meanings

- (noun) A speech sound with distinct physical or perceptual properties, considered as a physical event rather than by its role in a language's sound system.

## Origin

A clipping of 'telephone', in use by the 1880s. Through French télé- and -phone, it traces back to the Ancient Greek τῆλε (têle) and φωνή (phōnḗ).

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/phone (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).