phone¹ (fōn)
n.
A telephone.


v., phoned, phon·ing, phones.

v.intr.
To telephone.

v.tr.

1. To get in touch with by telephone.
2. To impart (information or news, for example) by telephone.
3. To make a telephone call to (a specific number): Phone 411 for directory assistance.

[Short for TELEPHONE.]

phone² (fōn)
n.
A speech sound considered without reference to its status as a phoneme or an allophone in a language.

[Greek phōnē, sound, voice.]

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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