Landline

'lændlaɪn

nounBeginnerCommonTechnology

Definitions

1

A telephone that is connected to a telephone network by a physical wire or cable, and is typically located in a fixed location.

'lændlaɪn

nounneutralBeginner
Technology

A telephone that uses a physical wire or cable for connection.

My grandparents still use a landline.

💡 Simply: Imagine a phone that has a wire plugged into the wall – that's a landline! It's like your house phone.

👶 For kids: A phone that is connected to a wire and stays in one place.

More Examples

2

The landline rang, and it was a telemarketer.

3

Many businesses still use landlines for their main phone systems.

How It's Used

General Communication

"She prefers using her landline for longer conversations."

Business

"The office still relies on landlines for official calls."

From "land" (referring to the physical connection) and "line" (referring to the telephone line). It emerged with the advent of fixed-location telephones, distinguishing them from mobile phones.

The term "landline" gained prominence with the proliferation of mobile phones in the late 20th century to differentiate from phones not tethered to a physical line.

Memory tip

Think of a telephone connected to a LINE that runs on LAND.

land linelandlines

Usage

60%Spoken
40%Written