Definition

Noun: A portable electronic device used for making and receiving calls over a radio frequency network while moving around a wide geographic area. It combines the functions of a telephone and, in modern versions, a computer.

Examples of Usage

• She left her mobile phone on the kitchen counter.
• The use of a mobile phone is prohibited during the flight.
• He upgraded to a newer model of mobile phone.

Advanced Usage

• "To be on one's mobile (phone)": To be using the device, typically for a call.
  • I tried to call, but she was on her mobile.
• "Mobile phone etiquette": The social rules governing the use of the device in public.
  • Good mobile phone etiquette includes silencing your phone in theaters.

Variants and Related Words

• Cell phone (noun, chiefly US): A synonym for mobile phone, referring to the cellular network technology it uses.
• Smartphone (noun): A modern mobile phone with advanced computing capability and connectivity.
• Handset (noun): The physical device held in the hand; can refer to a mobile phone or a traditional telephone receiver.

Synonyms

• Cellular phone
• Cell (informal)
• Mobile (informal, chiefly UK)

Related Phrases

• Mobile phone network: The system of interconnected cells that provides service.
  • My mobile phone network has excellent coverage here.
• Mobile phone number: The unique sequence of digits assigned to a device for making and receiving calls.
  • Please send me a text with your mobile phone number.

Related Idioms

• "To be glued to one's mobile phone": To use one's phone constantly and with great attention.
  • The teenagers were glued to their mobile phones throughout the dinner.

Noun

1. a hand-held mobile radiotelephone for use in an area divided into small sections, each with its own short-range transmitter/receiver