phone
verb/fəʊn/
/fəʊn/
(especially British English) (British English also phone up)
[intransitive, transitive]Verb Forms
Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they phone | /fəʊn/ /fəʊn/ |
| he / she / it phones | /fəʊnz/ /fəʊnz/ |
| past simple phoned | /fəʊnd/ /fəʊnd/ |
| past participle phoned | /fəʊnd/ /fəʊnd/ |
| -ing form phoning | /ˈfəʊnɪŋ/ /ˈfəʊnɪŋ/ |
- to make a phone call to somebody synonym call
- I was just phoning up for a chat.
- He phoned to invite me out for dinner.
- phone for something Someone phone for an ambulance!
- phone about something I’m phoning about your ad in the paper.
- phone back Could you phone back later?
- phone home He phoned home, but there was no reply.
- phone somebody/something Don't forget to phone New York.
- For reservations, phone 020 281 3964.
- Someone phoned the police.
- Phone them up and find out when they are coming.
British/American phone / call / ringphone / call / ringVerbs- In British English, to phone, to ring and to call are the usual ways of saying to telephone. In North American English the most common word is call, but phone is also used. Speakers of North American English do not say ring. Telephone is formal and is used mainly in British English.
- You can use call or phone call (more formal) in both British English and North American English:
- Were there any phone calls for me?
- How do I make a local call?
- I’ll give you a call tonight.
- I’ll give you a ring tonight.
Extra ExamplesTopics Phones, email and the interneta1- Could you phone me back later?
- Dan phoned for a taxi.
- Jane phoned up about the meal tonight.
- She phoned home to say she'd be late.
- You can phone me on this number.
Word Originnoun sense 5 mid 19th cent.: from Greek phōnē ‘sound, voice’.
Check pronunciation:
phone