Standard Lemma guide

phonate

adj · verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /fəʊˈneɪt/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /fə-/
  • General-American: /ˈfoʊˌneɪt/
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

adj

Meaning 1

voiced

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To make sounds with one's voice.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To use one's voice to make specific sounds.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

utter speech sounds

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: vocalize, vocalise

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: talk, speak, utter, mouth, verbalize, verbalise

History

Etymology

From Ancient Greek φωνή (phōnḗ, “voice, sound”) + -ate (adjective-forming suffix, with perfect meaning).

From Ancient Greek φωνή (phōnḗ, “voice, sound”) + -ate (verb-forming suffix), modelled after phonation, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bheh2- (“to say, speak”).

Across languages

Translations

7 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: произнасям (proiznasjam) — to make sounds with the voice
  • Czech: vydávat zvuk — to make sounds with the voice
  • Czech: tvořit hlas — to make sounds with the voice
  • Serbo-Croatian: fonirati — to make sounds with the voice
  • Serbo-Croatian: glasati se — to make sounds with the voice
  • Serbo-Croatian: fonirati — to use the voice to make (specific sounds)
  • Serbo-Croatian: glasati se — to use the voice to make (specific sounds)