on the phone
idiom
1
: using a telephone to talk to someone
Can you see who's at the door? I'm on the phone.
I was on the phone with my sister until late last night.
2
British
: connected to a telephone system
How many households aren't on the phone?
Examples of on the phone in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Some were on the phone with their children, while others simply stood in silence.
—
Laura Schulte, Journal Sentinel, 2 May 2024
To Edison’s credit, the utility put me on the phone with Erica Bowman, vice president of strategy, planning and performance.
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2024
Tiffany Haddish opened a fake Instagram account to track down her online trolls and sometimes call them on the phone, the comedian said this week.
—Zoe G Phillips, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 May 2024
Not long ago, talking on the phone with Bluetooth headsets made people look batty, but now everyone does it.
—Brian X. Chen, New York Times, 1 May 2024
When the individual asked about when the killing should occur, Joseph gave hand gestures to the source to have the killing done within 15 days, after which the person on the phone accepted the terms of the plan, which involved waiting for her at her workplace before stabbing her in the neck.
—Perry Vandell, The Arizona Republic, 1 May 2024
Nokia’s classic phone game Snake is on the phone, as are its Cloud Apps, which brings news, weather, and YouTube Shorts to the phone.
—Sarah Lord, PCMAG, 30 Apr. 2024
With 70 miles between us, Kirk wanted to have daily phone calls to keep in touch, but as someone who despises talking on the phone, this was a true test of our relationship.
—Holly Yeo, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2024
But talking on the phone is not the same in prison.
—TIME, 17 Apr. 2024
Laura Schulte, Journal Sentinel, 2 May 2024
To Edison’s credit, the utility put me on the phone with Erica Bowman, vice president of strategy, planning and performance.
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2024
Tiffany Haddish opened a fake Instagram account to track down her online trolls and sometimes call them on the phone, the comedian said this week.
—Zoe G Phillips, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 May 2024
Not long ago, talking on the phone with Bluetooth headsets made people look batty, but now everyone does it.
—Brian X. Chen, New York Times, 1 May 2024
When the individual asked about when the killing should occur, Joseph gave hand gestures to the source to have the killing done within 15 days, after which the person on the phone accepted the terms of the plan, which involved waiting for her at her workplace before stabbing her in the neck.
—Perry Vandell, The Arizona Republic, 1 May 2024
Nokia’s classic phone game Snake is on the phone, as are its Cloud Apps, which brings news, weather, and YouTube Shorts to the phone.
—Sarah Lord, PCMAG, 30 Apr. 2024
With 70 miles between us, Kirk wanted to have daily phone calls to keep in touch, but as someone who despises talking on the phone, this was a true test of our relationship.
—Holly Yeo, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2024
But talking on the phone is not the same in prison.
—TIME, 17 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'on the phone.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near on the phone
Cite this Entry
“On the phone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on%20the%20phone. Accessed 7 May. 2024.
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