touch-tone

adjective

Relating to a type of telephone with buttons, each of which produces a tone which corresponds to the relevant digit.

“software to decode touch-tones”

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Meanings

adjectivetouch-tone (not comparable)

alternative touchtone

  1. not comparableRelating to a type of telephone with buttons, each of which produces a tone which corresponds to the relevant digit.
nountouch-tone (plural touch-tones)

plural touch-tones · alternative touchtone

  1. A telephone with buttons that produce tones, one for each digit.

    a teleconference service for touch-tones only

  2. A tone produced by such a telephone.

    software to decode touch-tones

Origin

By genericization from the trade name Touch-Tone, 1960.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

touch-tone. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/touch-tone

MLA

“touch-tone.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/touch-tone. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “touch-tone,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/touch-tone.

Source: touch-tone on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.