Standard Lemma guide

ringtone

noun · verb · 3 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: /ˈɹɪŋˌtəʊn/
  • Received-Pronunciation: [ˈɹɪŋˌthəʊ̯n]
  • Canada, General-American: /ˈɹɪŋˌtoʊn/
  • Canada, General-American: [ˈɹɪŋˌthoʊ̯n] ~ [ˈɹɪŋˌthəʊ̯n]
  • Wisconsin Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • [ˈɹɪŋˌthoːn] monophthongization
  • Australian: /ˈɹɪŋˌtəʉ̯n/
  • Australian: [ˈɹɪŋˌthəʉ̯n]
  • New-Zealand: /ˈɹəŋˌtɐʉn/
  • New-Zealand: [ˈɹəŋˌthɐʉ̯n]
  • Scotland: /ˈɹɪŋˌton/
  • Scotland: [ˈɹɪŋˌthon]
  • Wales: /ˈɹɪŋˌtoːn/ without the toe–tow merger
  • Wales: [ˈɹɪŋˌthoːn] without the toe–tow merger

1

noun

Meaning 1

The sound made by a telephone when ringing.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A customizable tone used to indicate an incoming call on a telephone, especially a mobile phone.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • I set my favorite song as my ringtone.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

Of a telephone: to play a ringtone.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: ambitransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From ring + tone.

Across languages

Translations

48 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: نَغْمَة الرَنَّة (naḡmat ar-ranna) — sound made by a telephone when ringing
  • Arabic: نَغْمَة رَنِين (naḡmat ranīn) — sound made by a telephone when ringing
  • Arabic: نَغْمَة (naḡma) — sound made by a telephone when ringing
  • Bulgarian: рингтон (rington) — sound made by a telephone when ringing
  • Cherokee: ᎤᏃᏴᎵᏍᏙᏓ (unoyvlisdoda) — sound made by a telephone when ringing
  • Chinese Mandarin: 鈴聲 /铃声 (língshēng) — sound made by a telephone when ringing
  • Chinese Mandarin: 鈴音 /铃音 (língyīn) — sound made by a telephone when ringing
  • Czech: vyzváněcí melodie — sound made by a telephone when ringing
  • Czech: vyzváněcí tón — sound made by a telephone when ringing
  • Dutch: ringtone — sound made by a telephone when ringing
  • Dutch: beltoon — sound made by a telephone when ringing
  • Esperanto: vokosono — sound made by a telephone when ringing
  • Finnish: soittoääni — sound made by a telephone when ringing
  • French: sonnerie — sound made by a telephone when ringing
  • French: sonnerie de téléphone — sound made by a telephone when ringing
  • German: Klingelton — sound made by a telephone when ringing
  • Hebrew: נעימון (ne'imón) — sound made by a telephone when ringing
  • Hebrew: רינגטון — sound made by a telephone when ringing
  • Hindi: रिंगटोन (riṅgṭon) — sound made by a telephone when ringing
  • Hindi: रिंग टोन (riṅg ṭon) — sound made by a telephone when ringing
  • Hungarian: csengőhang — sound made by a telephone when ringing
  • Icelandic: hringitónn — sound made by a telephone when ringing
  • Indonesian: nada dering — sound made by a telephone when ringing
  • Italian: suoneria — sound made by a telephone when ringing
  • Japanese: 着信音 (chakushin'on) — sound made by a telephone when ringing
  • Japanese: 着メロ (chaku-mero) — sound made by a telephone when ringing
  • Japanese: 着信メロディ (chakushin merodī) — sound made by a telephone when ringing
  • Khmer: សំឡេងរោទ៍ (sɑmleing roo) — sound made by a telephone when ringing
  • Korean: 착신음 (chaksineum) — sound made by a telephone when ringing
  • Korean: 벨소리 (belsori) — sound made by a telephone when ringing
  • Norwegian: ringetone — sound made by a telephone when ringing
  • Polish: dzwonek — sound made by a telephone when ringing
  • Portuguese: ringtone — sound made by a telephone when ringing
  • Portuguese: toque — sound made by a telephone when ringing
  • Romanian: ton de apel — sound made by a telephone when ringing
  • Russian: звоно́к (zvonók) — sound made by a telephone when ringing
  • Russian: рингто́н (ringtón) — sound made by a telephone when ringing
  • Russian: мело́дия (melódija) — sound made by a telephone when ringing
  • Russian: мело́дия для моби́льного телефо́на (melódija dlja mobílʹnovo telefóna) — sound made by a telephone when ringing
  • Spanish: ringtone — sound made by a telephone when ringing
  • Spanish: tono de llamada — sound made by a telephone when ringing
  • Swedish: ringsignal — sound made by a telephone when ringing
  • Telugu: రింగ్టోన్ (riṅgṭōn) — sound made by a telephone when ringing
  • Thai: เสียงเรียกเข้า (sǐiang-rîiak-kâo) — sound made by a telephone when ringing
  • Thai: ริงโทน — sound made by a telephone when ringing
  • Turkish: zil sesi — sound made by a telephone when ringing
  • Vietnamese: nhạc chờ — sound made by a telephone when ringing
  • Vietnamese: nhạc chuông — sound made by a telephone when ringing