phoning it in
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Though Microsoft, Paramount and other large companies are stepping up calls to get back to the workplace, many of their employees are still phoning it in as their managers struggle to enforce mandates.
From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 24, 2025
Frivolous as it is, these inventive details convince us that Ayer isn’t simply phoning it in.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2025
I felt crestfallen seeing Adam Scott, who’s so droll in “Party Down” and “Parks and Rec,” and Zosia Mamet, sweetly silly in “Girls,” phoning it in from another planet — the polar opposite of funny/sweet/anything.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 2, 2024
A retired Major League Baseball player is technically running for Senate in California—and he’s really phoning it in.
From Slate • Feb. 5, 2024
Why work hard at generating disinformation when phoning it in works just as well?
From Salon • Mar. 13, 2023
