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
One man was filmed by a local television station on the phone with emergency dispatchers, alerting them that people were getting hurt.
—
Serge F. Kovaleski, New York Times, 12 May 2024
Le Caire started as a case manager and Arabic translator for her first client, a Yemeni woman, though the two eventually developed a mother-daughter relationship after talking on the phone everyday.
—Solcyré Burga, TIME, 12 May 2024
Maybe the band and him couldn’t twist my arm on things, but Clive Davis on the phone can certainly twist your arm.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 10 May 2024
Wayne was on the phone with his brother Johnny when the accident happened.
—Becca Longmire, Peoplemag, 6 May 2024
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
Serge F. Kovaleski, New York Times, 12 May 2024
Le Caire started as a case manager and Arabic translator for her first client, a Yemeni woman, though the two eventually developed a mother-daughter relationship after talking on the phone everyday.
—Solcyré Burga, TIME, 12 May 2024
Maybe the band and him couldn’t twist my arm on things, but Clive Davis on the phone can certainly twist your arm.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 10 May 2024
Wayne was on the phone with his brother Johnny when the accident happened.
—Becca Longmire, Peoplemag, 6 May 2024
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
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 19 May. 2024.
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