phone home
The phrase "phone home" gained popularity from the 1982 film "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" and has since been used in various contexts including everyday communication and technology.
Definition
A2Everyday Communication
(informal)To call one's residence to speak with family or housemates.
Example
- She decided to phone home to let her parents know she arrived safely.
- I need to phone home and check on the kids.
B2Technology
(technical, computing)When software or hardware communicates with its creator or an external server, often to report data or verify licenses.
Example
- The application will phone home to ensure the license is valid.
- Some devices phone home to report their location if they are stolen.
B1Cultural Reference
(humorous, informal)A phrase from the movie "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," used humorously to refer to someone trying to contact a familiar place or seek help.
Example
- After a long day at work, he joked, 'I need to phone home like E.T.'
- Lost in the city, she said, 'I feel like E.T. trying to phone home.'
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "phone home":
phone upphone ingo homecome hometelephone callon the phonepick up the phonehome invoice callcall backring backcall incalling namephone bankcall upon the telephonephone zombiedial outcellular phonepillar telephonehold the phonecall buttoncall historyhouse calltelephone numbercall boxcall someone's numberhome help