payphone means A public telephone that requires prepayment to operate, generally via the insertion of coins or a credit card. Lexicurio rates it Distinctive — a strength score of 69 out of 100.
payphone is pronounced /ˈpeɪˌfoʊn/.
Etymology
From pay + phone.
noun
- A public telephone that requires prepayment to operate, generally via the insertion of coins or a credit card.“I only had ten cents in my pocket, so I couldn't use the payphone to call a cab.”