on the phone
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
Talking or communicating using a telephone
Literally: using a phone device
Register: neutral
Examples
Tom is still on the phone with Mary.Tom vẫn còn nói chuyện điện thoại với Mary.
Tom is on the phone with Mary.Tom đang nói chuyện điện thoại với Mary.
Tatoeba sentence #3442474 (CC BY 2.0 FR, tatoeba.org, retrieved 2026-07-31)
Sources & notes
Everyday learner phrase (CEFR A1); level cross-referenced from published learner lists. Definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-08-01; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “on the phone” mean?
Talking or communicating using a telephone Literally: using a phone device
Is “on the phone” formal or informal?
on the phone is generally neutral.