Telephone
/ˈtɛləˌfoʊn/
Definitions
2 meaningsA device used to send and receive sounds over a distance, typically involving electrical signals.
/ˈtɛləˌfoʊn/
An instrument for transmitting sound to a distant place.
The telephone rang loudly.
💡 Simply: It's like a magic box that lets you talk to people far away! You can hear their voice even if they're not right next to you.
👶 For kids: A telephone is a toy that lets you talk to people who are not right there with you!
More Examples
He was talking on the telephone for hours.
She hung up the telephone.
How It's Used
"She answered the telephone."
"He received a call on his telephone."
To contact someone by using a telephone.
/ˈtɛləˌfoʊn/
To communicate with someone by telephone.
She telephoned her mother every Sunday.
💡 Simply: To use a telephone to talk to someone. Just like calling them!
👶 For kids: When you telephone someone, you use a telephone to talk to them!
More Examples
I need to telephone the doctor.
He telephoned to make a reservation.
How It's Used
"I will telephone you later."
"Please telephone the client to confirm the meeting."
Idioms & expressions
off the telephone
To no longer be using the telephone or to have finished a telephone call.
"I'm finally off the telephone. Can we eat now?"
telephone booth
A small structure that once housed a public telephone.
"He went to the telephone booth to make an urgent call."
From the Greek words "tēle" (far) and "phōnē" (voice), introduced by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876 to describe his invention.
The telephone quickly revolutionized communication, replacing the telegraph for many purposes in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Memory tip
Imagine a bell (phone) that can talk from far away (tele).
Word Origin
"A device that sends a voice over a distance."