phone

The word “phone” means a device used to talk to someone over a distance, especially a mobile device that also runs apps. In plain terms, a telephone, or the act of calling someone on one.

“Phone” is pronounced FOHN (/ˈfoʊ̯n/ in IPA).

Here is “phone” used in a sentence: “She left her phone at home and had to go back for it.”

Words with a similar meaning to “phone” include telephone, blower, pipe, Ameche, dog and bone and horn.

Depending on how it is used, “phone” can be a noun and a verb.

The word “phone” dates back to around 1884 and comes from Greek. A shortening of "telephone," first recorded in this clipped form in 1884; "telephone" itself combines Greek tele- ("far") and phone ("sound").

“Phone” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

“Phone” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a device used to talk to someone over a distance, especially a mobile device that also runs apps.

A phone is any device for talking over a distance; a smartphone is a modern phone that also runs apps, browses the internet, takes photos, and much more. All smartphones are phones, but older "basic" or "feature" phones mainly make calls and send texts without the full app experience.

They are the same device — the difference is regional. "Mobile phone," often shortened to "mobile," is the usual term in Britain and much of the world, while "cell phone," short for "cellular phone," is standard in the United States. Both mean a wireless phone you carry with you.

Yes. "Phone" is a shortened form of "telephone," which comes from Greek roots meaning "far" and "sound" — literally sound from a distance. The clipped version became so common that "phone" now stands on its own, and for most people it first brings to mind a mobile device rather than a landline.