telephone
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A telecommunication device used for two-way talking with another person.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
tehluhfohnSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈtɛləfoʊn
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
countabletelephony
A telecommunication device (originally mechanical, and now electronic) used for two-way talking with another person (now often shortened to phone).
canadausuncountable
The game of Chinese whispers.
verb
ambitransitive
To (attempt to) contact someone using a telephone.
transitive
To convey (a message) via telephone.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner (estimated)
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (countable, telephony) A telecommunication device (originally mechanical, and now electronic) used for two-way talking with another person (now often shortened to phone).
Used this way, telephone is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is an engineering use: it is a working term used for accuracy on the job.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Technical/specialist writing
- Science
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use telephone
- “I talked to him on the telephone.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Similar Words, What’s the Difference?
Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.
A place where some sports or exhibitions take place.
The state of being the batsman whose role it is to call (depends on where the ball goes.).
Electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then….
The act of sound transmission via the electromagnetic spectrum.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
Transmitting speech at a distance.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Booth for using a telephone.
Booth for using a telephone.
A telephone connection.
A telephone connection.
A public utility that provides telephone service.
A conversation over the telephone.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
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Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.