Phrase guide

telephone exchange

noun · 5 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.

  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Any equipment that establishes connections between telephones.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: communications, electrical-engineering, engineering, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, telecommunications, telephony

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The rooms or building housing such equipment (a central office, as it was termed by the Bell System).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical

Topics: communications, electrical-engineering, engineering, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, telecommunications, telephony

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A local or locoregional network of such switched connections, of which a central office was the hub; the local company formed to create and maintain this network and its central office.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical

Topics: communications, electrical-engineering, engineering, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, telecommunications, telephony

Examples

  • This valley didn't have a telephone exchange until 1903, when the leading citizens of this town invested in a company to establish one.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

The portion of a telephone number representing that network, among the other networks of the larger system: the central office code. In the North American Numbering Plan, this is the "555" portion of "+1-212-555-6789".

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: communications, electrical-engineering, engineering, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, telecommunications, telephony

Examples

  • Holonyms: telephone number, phone number
  • A: You can telephone him at 2719. B: What's the [telephone] exchange? A: LA6. I'm sorry, that's LA6-2719.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

a workplace that serves as a telecommunications facility where lines from telephones can be connected together to permit communication

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: central, exchange

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: workplace, work

Narrower terms: centrex, switchboard, patchboard, plugboard

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

30 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Danish: telefoncentral — equipment
  • Dutch: telefooncentrale — equipment
  • Finnish: puhelinkeskus — equipment
  • French: commutateur téléphonique — equipment
  • French: autocommutateur — equipment
  • Indonesian: sentral telepon — equipment
  • Italian: centrale telefonica — equipment
  • Italian: autocommutatore — equipment
  • Malay: ibu sawat telefon — equipment
  • Norwegian Bokmål: telefonsentral — equipment
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: telefonsentral — equipment
  • Polish: centrala — equipment
  • Spanish: central telefónica — equipment
  • Swedish: telefonväxel — equipment
  • Swedish: telefoncentral — equipment
  • Danish: telefoncentral — rooms
  • Dutch: telefooncentrale — rooms
  • Finnish: puhelinkeskus — rooms
  • French: commutateur téléphonique — rooms
  • French: autocommutateur — rooms
  • Indonesian: sentral telepon — rooms
  • Italian: centrale telefonica — rooms
  • Italian: autocommutatore — rooms
  • Malay: ibu sawat telefon — rooms
  • Norwegian Bokmål: telefonsentral — rooms
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: telefonsentral — rooms
  • Polish: centrala — rooms
  • Spanish: central telefónica — rooms
  • Swedish: telefonväxel — rooms
  • Swedish: telefoncentral — rooms