WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
ˈtel•e•phone ˌtag, n. [uncountable]
  1. many unsuccessful attempts by two persons to connect with one another by telephone:We played telephone tag: I left her a message, she returned it when I wasn't there, and when I called back again she had gone.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
tel′ephone tag′, 
  1. repeated unsuccessful attempts by two persons to connect with one another by telephone.

'telephone tag' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
phone tag

Forum discussions with the word(s) "telephone tag" in the title:


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