phone inverb

• 1

  To deliver a message by telephone when etiquette demands the effort and respect conveyed by communication in person.

  • Please give us the courtesy of showing up instead of phoning in.
  • Please give us the courtesy of delivering it in person instead of phoning it in.
• 2

  To make a telephone call to a broadcasting station, especially to participate in a program being aired.

  • We've got Brian phoning in from Phoenix. Brian, you're on the air.
  • I've been trying to phone in to your program for the last half hour.
• 3

  To fulfill a responsibility with a minimum effort rather than the appropriate level of effort.

  • phone it in
  • He thought he could phone in the scheduling process, but it takes sharp negotiations around here.
• 4

  To make an unseemly, timid performance; to be restrained and timid when bold action is called for.