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.

“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

A movie star, on the other hand, can get away with phoning it in, coasting on their charisma and magnetism as far as it’ll take them.

From Salon • Jun. 17, 2025

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

Something about it always struck me as phoning it in, almost like you were handing someone a gift card with a wick.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 12, 2022