electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
"I talked to him on the telephone"
(phonetics) an individual sound unit of speech without concern as to whether or not it is a phoneme of some language
"The linguist analyzed each phone in the recording separately, noting that many were distinct sounds that did not function as meaningful units in any known language."
A device for transmitting conversations and other sounds in real time across distances, now often a small portable unit also capable of running software etc.
"The linguist analyzed each phone individually to understand how the sound was physically produced by the speaker's vocal cords."
A speech segment that possesses distinct physical or perceptual properties, considered as a physical event without regard to its place in the phonology of a language.
In plain English: A phone is a handheld device you use to make calls and send messages.
"I left my phone on the table while I was cooking dinner."
Usage: As a noun, phone refers to any distinct sound unit produced by the vocal tract, such as the /p/ at the start of "pat." Use this term when analyzing individual speech sounds rather than larger units like words or sentences.
To call (someone) using a telephone.
"I need to phone my mother right away to tell her I'll be late for dinner."
In plain English: To phone someone means to call them on the telephone.
"I will phone my mother to tell her I am running late."
Usage: Use "phone" as a verb when you want to state that you are calling someone on a telephone, often serving as a concise alternative to saying "call by phone." It functions identically to the noun but directly replaces the action of making the call.
The word phone is a shortened form of telephone that first appeared in 1884. It originally referred to the device used for making long-distance calls.