burner phone

noun

: a prepaid cell phone that is not bound to a contract with a carrier (see carrier sense 7b) and is usually intended to be disposed of after use
She said he returned a short time later, got a lot of cash, then left again with the drugs and money after talking to an unidentified person on a burner phone.Kurt Helin

called also burner

Examples of burner phone in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Police obtain search warrant for burner phone: reports Investigators secured a search warrant for a phone authorities found in an alley near the scene of last week's shooting, multiple news outlets reported. Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 14 Dec. 2024 The police have found a burner phone, a water bottle and protein bar that were reportedly bought at the nearby Starbucks the suspect visited, and a backpack that reportedly contained Monopoly money and a Tommy Hilfiger jacket. Lindsey Choo, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024 Even a disposable burner phone might yield clues about communications and searches before the shooting. Karina Tsui, CNN, 6 Dec. 2024 Ashley Benefield's lawyer, Faith Brown, told police at the time that her client had been planning to leave her husband and had an escape plan, including a safe place to stay, a burner phone and a rental car rented under a different name. Stephen Smith, CBS News, 3 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for burner phone 

Word History

First Known Use

1996, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of burner phone was in 1996

Dictionary Entries Near burner phone

Cite this Entry

“Burner phone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/burner%20phone. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!