phone

UK: /ˈfəʊn/ US: /foʊn/ ,(fōn)

Inflections of 'phone' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

phones

v 3rd person singular

phoning

v pres p

phoned

v past

phoned

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

phone¹ /foʊn/   n., v., phoned, phon•ing. 
n. [countable]

1. Telecommunications a telephone.

v. 

2. to use a telephone to call (someone): [~ + object]
   I tried phoning you last night, but no one was there.
   [no object]
   Look, just phone if you need us, OK?

See -phon-.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

phone¹  (fōn), n., v.t., v.i., phoned, phon•ing. 

1. Telecommunications telephone.

• by shortening 1880–85

phone²  (fōn), n. [Phonet.]

1. a speech sound:
   There are three phonetically different "t'' phones in an utterance of "titillate,'' and two in an utterance of "tattletale.''
   Cf. allophone, phoneme. 

• Greek phōné̄ voice
• 1865–70

pho′nal, adj. 

-phone, 

1. a combining form meaning "speech sound'' (homophone), "an instrument of sound transmission or reproduction'' (telephone), "a musical instrument'' (saxophone;
   xylophone).

• see phone²

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

phone / fəʊn/ noun , verb

1. short for telephone

phone / fəʊn/ noun

1. a single uncomplicated speech sound

Etymology: 19th Century: from Greek phōnē sound, voice

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

-phone combining_form

1. (forming nouns) indicating voice, sound, or a device giving off sound: microphone, telephone
2. (forming nouns and adjectives) (a person) speaking a particular language: Francophone

Etymology: from Greek phōnē voice, sound

-phonic combining_form:in_adjective