Added 10 October 2026 payphone /ˈpeɪˌfoʊn/ noun Categories: Obscure Words noun ! Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about payphone at Wordnik → Where our words come from → A public telephone that requires prepayment to operate, generally via the insertion of coins or a credit card. I only had ten cents in my pocket, so I couldn't use the payphone to call a cab. Origin From pay + phone. From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA) Related Words: landlinephoneboothcompartmentpayingcockpitcubiclecabberthstateroomcabincabana Back to today's word