Definition

1. Noun:
   • A telephone that communicates by radio waves rather than along cables: A portable electronic device for making and receiving calls without a physical wire connection to the network.
   • Telephony that uses transmission by radio rather than by wire: The technology or system for transmitting voice communications using radio signals instead of electrical wires.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Device):
  • She answered the wireless telephone while walking in the garden.
  • Early wireless telephones were large and had limited range compared to modern cell phones.
• Noun (Technology/System):
  • The company invested heavily in wireless telephone technology.
  • The transition from wired to wireless telephone service revolutionized communication.

Advanced Usage

• The term wireless telephone is often used historically or technically to distinguish from traditional landline (wired) telephones. In modern everyday language, specific terms like , , or are more common when referring to the device.
• It can describe the general concept of cordless telephones used within a limited range of a base station connected to a landline.

Variants and Related Words

• Mobile Phone (n): The modern common term for a portable telephone using a cellular radio network.
• Cell Phone (n): A common synonym for mobile phone.
• Cordless Phone (n): A telephone with a portable handset that communicates via radio with a base station connected to a fixed phone line.
• Radiotelephone (n): A formal or technical term for a wireless telephone.

Synonyms

• Mobile phone
• Cell phone
• Radiotelephone (for the device or technology)
• Cordless phone (for a specific type within a home/office)

Related Phrases

• Wireless communication: The broader category of transmitting information without wires, which includes wireless telephony.
• Cellular network: The system of interconnected radio cells that enables modern wireless telephone service.

Noun

1. a telephone that communicates by radio waves rather than along cables
2. telephony that uses transmission by radio rather than by wire