telephone
verb/ˈtelɪfəʊn/
/ˈtelɪfəʊn/
(especially British English, formal) (also phone especially in British English)
(also call British and North American English)
[intransitive, transitive]Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they telephone | /ˈtelɪfəʊn/ /ˈtelɪfəʊn/ |
| he / she / it telephones | /ˈtelɪfəʊnz/ /ˈtelɪfəʊnz/ |
| past simple telephoned | /ˈtelɪfəʊnd/ /ˈtelɪfəʊnd/ |
| past participle telephoned | /ˈtelɪfəʊnd/ /ˈtelɪfəʊnd/ |
| -ing form telephoning | /ˈtelɪfəʊnɪŋ/ /ˈtelɪfəʊnɪŋ/ |
- to speak to somebody by phone
- Please write or telephone for details.
- He telephoned to say he'd be late.
- telephone somebody/something I was about to telephone the police.
- You can telephone your order 24 hours a day.
- telephone (somebody/something) on/at something For tickets telephone the box office on 4121211.
British/American phone / call / ringphone / call / ringVerbsTopics Phones, email and the interneta1- 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.
Check pronunciation:
telephone