a system for transmitting voices over a distance using wire or radio, by converting acoustic vibrations to electrical signals

make arrangements over the telephone

credit-card payments can be made by telephone

a telephone call

an instrument used as part of a telephone system, typically a single unit including a handset with a transmitting microphone and a set of numbered buttons by which a connection can be made to another such instrument

it was eight-thirty when the telephone rang, and I knew it was Chandler

a telephone receiver

a game in which a sentence or phrase becomes distorted by being passed along to the next person in a whisper

contact (someone) using the telephone

he telephoned his wife at 9.30