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.

At a pivotal point in “The Christophers,” Lori explains how she can see that Julian was phoning it in during his later series of the titular paintings.

From Salon • Apr. 17, 2026

“I’m big fans of all of you—except for NPR. Just a bunch of celebs phoning it in, so try harder,” Poehler joked.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 12, 2026

If you think we’re phoning it in with this intro, you should see next week’s, when there won’t even be an intro because there will be no Surge.

From Slate • Nov. 23, 2024

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

To this point, it feels like he’s been phoning it in by employing knowing head nods and stereotypical sayings such as “How does that make you feel?”

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 30, 2023