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
Starting in 2012, both Apple and Google tried to mitigate the threat by requiring users to click a confirmation button on their phones before a computer—or a computer masquerading as a charger—could access files or execute code on the phone.
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ArsTechnica, 28 Apr. 2025
Sure, maybe, in the moment, the manager was looking at a scouting report, or was on the phone to the bullpen, or sneezed just as his right fielder swung the bat.
—Dan Freedman, Forbes.com, 26 Apr. 2025
Brant, a 49-year-old real estate broker, was on the phone with a client when two men entered the office.
—Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 26 Apr. 2025
Greer, who was on the phone with Khalil and the arresting agent on the night of the arrest, said Khalil remained calm and complied with orders even as agents failed to show an arrest warrant.
—Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for on the phone
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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ArsTechnica, 28 Apr. 2025
Sure, maybe, in the moment, the manager was looking at a scouting report, or was on the phone to the bullpen, or sneezed just as his right fielder swung the bat.
—Dan Freedman, Forbes.com, 26 Apr. 2025
Brant, a 49-year-old real estate broker, was on the phone with a client when two men entered the office.
—Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 26 Apr. 2025
Greer, who was on the phone with Khalil and the arresting agent on the night of the arrest, said Khalil remained calm and complied with orders even as agents failed to show an arrest warrant.
—Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for 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 2 May. 2025.
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