Nominal Forms
Infinitive: to telephone
Participle: telephoned
Gerund: telephoning
Cognates
-
Indicative
Present
| I | telephone |
| you | telephone |
| he;she;it | telephones |
| we | telephone |
| you | telephone |
| they | telephone |
Perfect
| I | have telephoned |
| you | have telephoned |
| he;she;it | has telephoned |
| we | have telephoned |
| you | have telephoned |
| they | have telephoned |
Past
| I | telephoned |
| you | telephoned |
| he;she;it | telephoned |
| we | telephoned |
| you | telephoned |
| they | telephoned |
Pluperfect
| I | had telephoned |
| you | had telephoned |
| he;she;it | had telephoned |
| we | had telephoned |
| you | had telephoned |
| they | had telephoned |
Future
| I | will telephone |
| you | will telephone |
| he;she;it | will telephone |
| we | will telephone |
| you | will telephone |
| they | will telephone |
Future Perfect
| I | will have telephoned |
| you | will have telephoned |
| he;she;it | will have telephoned |
| we | will have telephoned |
| you | will have telephoned |
| they | will have telephoned |
Subjunctive
Present
| I | telephone |
| you | telephone |
| he;she;it | telephone |
| we | telephone |
| you | telephone |
| they | telephone |
Perfect
| I | have telephoned |
| you | have telephoned |
| he;she;it | have telephoned |
| we | have telephoned |
| you | have telephoned |
| they | have telephoned |
Imperfect
| I | telephoned |
| you | telephoned |
| he;she;it | telephoned |
| we | telephoned |
| you | telephoned |
| they | telephoned |
Pluperfect
| I | had telephoned |
| you | had telephoned |
| he;she;it | had telephoned |
| we | had telephoned |
| you | had telephoned |
| they | had telephoned |
Conditional
Present
| I | would telephone |
| you | would telephone |
| he;she;it | would telephone |
| we | would telephone |
| you | would telephone |
| they | would telephone |
Perfect
| I | would have telephoned |
| you | would have telephoned |
| he;she;it | would have telephoned |
| we | would have telephoned |
| you | would have telephoned |
| they | would have telephoned |
Imperative
| you | telephone |
| we | Let's telephone |
| you | telephone |
Verbs conjugated like 'telephone'
abacinate,
abalienate,
abase,
abate,
abbreviate,
abdicate,
abduce,
aberrate,
aberuncate,
abirritate,
abjudge,
abjudicate,
abjugate,
abjure,
ablactate,
ablaqueate,
able,
ablegate,
abligate,
abnegate, etc. (List truncated at 20 verbs)
Verbs similar to 'telephone'
cellphone,
freephone,
megaphone,
teleport,
teleprint,
telescope,
trephine,
xylophone,
antepone,
cellophane,
Additional Information
Phrasal Verbs
Etymology
1. The noun is derived from tele- (prefix meaning ‘from a distance’) + -phone (suffix denoting a device which makes a sound), modelled after German Telephon (“early apparatus converting sound into electrical signals”) (dated) (now German Telefon). The word was first used to refer to the modern device in 1876 by the Scottish-born Canadian-American engineer Alexander Graham Bell (1847–1922).
2. The prefix tele- is ultimately derived from Ancient Greek τῆλε (têle, “afar, far away, far off”), from Proto-Indo-European *kʷelh₁- (“to turn end-over-end; to revolve around; hence, to dwell, sojourn”). The suffix -phone is ultimately from Ancient Greek φωνή (phōnḗ, “sound; voice”), and Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- (“to say; to speak”).
3. Noun sense 4.4 (“system of communication using musical notes”) is borrowed from French téléphone (“kind of megaphone; system of communication using musical notes”).
4. The verb is derived from the noun.
Verbs referencing "telephone"
Ido telefonar, Thai
โทรศัพท์, Greek
τηλεφωνώ.
Sample Sentences
-
David telephoned his apologies to his mother. On the way we had had our first puncture, and had taken some time to change the wheel, as we were unable to find the jack. [1926, Robert Byron, chapter V, in Europe in the Looking-glass: Reflections of a Motor Drive from Grimsby to Athens, London: George Routledge & Sons […], →OCLC, part 1, page 31:]
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He telephoned what he knew to his chief, the information such as to cause the smug complacency of that gentlemen in his henchman's prowess to vanish from his expression, […] [1961, Xavier Herbert, Soldiers’ Women, Sydney, N.S.W.: Angus and Robertson, →OCLC, page 395:]
-
The length ganger saw the train passing with the van derailed and promptly telephoned the Sandbach signalman, who restored his signals to danger, but not in time to stop the train before the final derailment occurred. [1961 November, “Talking of Trains: Derailment near Holmes Chapel”, in Trains Illustrated, London: Ian Allan Publishing, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 652:]
-
The London County Council prepared careful estimates for telephoning London in 1898, and those estimates were submitted to Parliament. It contended that it could provide a telephone service for the County Council area of London at £38 per subscriber capital outlay, after setting aside the necessary funds for the debt charge and after paying the Post Office the 10 per cent. royalty. [1901 December 14, J. Williams Benn, “The Telephone Deal”, in The Speaker: The Liberal Review, volume V (New Series), number 115, London; Paris: Cassell and Co., […], →OCLC, page 296, column 1:]
-
Do you hear the chemical accents of the sun? / Do you telephone the roar of the waters over the earth? [1923, D[avid] H[erbert] Lawrence, “[Trees] Bare Almond-trees”, in Birds, Beasts and Flowers: Poems, London: Martin Secker […], →OCLC, stanza 3, page 44:]
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I came down like a wolf on the fold, didn't I? Why didn't I telephone? Strategy, my dear boy, strategy. This is a surprise attack, and I'd no wish that the garrison, forewarned, should escape. [1913, Robert Barr, “The Mad Miss Maturin”, in Lord Stranleigh Abroad, London; Melbourne, Vic.; Toronto, Ont.: Ward, Lock & Co., →OCLC, page 139:]
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Having completed their task, Fireman Page telephoned from a lineside box to the next signal cabin, briefly reported the incident and said that, as no high explosive had dropped and the track was safe, they proposed proceeding "at caution". [1944 July–August, “Top Link Drivers: XXI—Driver H. Blunt, L.N.E.R.”, in The Railway Magazine, London: Tothill Press, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 226:]
-
The only chance we had was to telephone to the manager of the hotel in Calgary to send two bottles of Scotch without fail by the next train leaving Calgary for the west. [1971, Martin Nordegg, “Convincing a European Expert”, in T. D. Regehr, editor, The Possibilities of Canada are Truly Great: Memoirs 1906–1924, Toronto, Ont.: Macmillan of Canada, →OCLC, page 89:]