Idiom idiom
phone in
Meaning
To fulfill a responsibility with a minimum effort rather than the appropriate level of effort.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“He is just phoning it in at work lately.”
“The actor clearly phoned it in during his performance, showing no real interest in the character.”
“Rather than engaging with the complex issues of the project, the consultant simply phoned it in, providing a generic report that lacked any original insight.”
Anchors to
Last updated August 10, 2026