Understanding telephone collocations can help you communicate more effectively over the phone. Here are 20 common telephone collocations, each with a short meaning and an example sentence.
1. Make a Call
Meaning: Dial a phone number.
Example: She needs to make a call now.
2. Answer the Phone
Meaning: Respond to a ringing phone.
Example: Please answer the phone, it’s ringing.
3. Hang Up
Meaning: End a phone call.
Example: He hung up after the conversation.
4. Call Back
Meaning: Return a phone call.
Example: I’ll call you back later.
5. Hold the Line
Meaning: Wait on the phone.
Example: Please hold the line for a moment.
6. Pick Up the Phone
Meaning: Answer a ringing phone.
Example: She picked up the phone quickly.
7. Leave a Message
Meaning: Provide a recorded message.
Example: Please leave a message after the beep.
8. Miss a Call
Meaning: Not answer a call.
Example: I missed your call earlier.
9. Put Through
Meaning: Connect a caller.
Example: I’ll put you through to John.
10. Cut Off
Meaning: Disconnect a call suddenly.
Example: We were cut off in mid-conversation.
11. Phone In
Meaning: Call a place of work.
Example: She phoned in sick today.
12. Speak Up
Meaning: Talk louder on the phone.
Example: Can you speak up, please?
13. Ring Off
Meaning: End a phone call.
Example: She rang off after saying goodbye.
14. Call Collect
Meaning: Call where the recipient pays.
Example: He made a call collect from abroad.
15. Phone Back
Meaning: Return a phone call.
Example: I’ll phone you back soon.
16. Dial a Number
Meaning: Enter a phone number to call.
Example: He dialed the number quickly.
17. Put on Hold
Meaning: Pause a call temporarily.
Example: She put me on hold for minutes.
18. Receive a Call
Meaning: Get an incoming call.
Example: I received a call from my friend.
19. Drop a Call
Meaning: Lose connection unexpectedly.
Example: We dropped the call while driving.
20. Transfer a Call
Meaning: Redirect a call to another line.
Example: Can you transfer my call to HR?
