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Definition of "telephone" []

  • An instrument that converts voice and other sound signals into a form that can be transmitted to remote locations and that receives and reconverts waves into sound signals. (noun)
  • To speak with (a person) by telephone. (verb-transitive)
  • To initiate or make a telephone connection with; place a call to. (verb-transitive)
  • To transmit (a message, for example) by telephone. (verb-transitive)
  • To engage in communication by telephone. (verb-intransitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "telephone" in a sentence
  • "Before considering the various types it is well to state that the term telephone is often rather loosely used."
  • "The modern custom more often applies the term telephone to the complete organization of talking and signaling apparatus, together with the associated wiring and cabinet or standard on which it is mounted."
  • "The history of the invention of the telephone is a confusing mass of claims and counterclaims, further worsened by lawsuits which attempted to resolve the patent claims of individuals."