earphone

American

[eer-fohn] / ˈɪərˌfoʊn /

noun

a sound receiver that fits in or over the ear, as of a radio or telephone.
Usually earphones. a headset; headphone.

earphone British

/ ˈɪəˌfəʊn /

noun

a device for converting electric currents into sound waves, held close to or inserted into the ear

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of earphone

First recorded in 1920–25; ear ¹ + phone ¹

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.

The coroner added that "increasingly, more people wear earphones and are therefore less aware of their surroundings".

From BBC

I flip onto my side and dig through my backpack for earphones.

From Literature

Within weeks of arriving, I loathed Madras, where rats stole the padding from my earphones, the humidity left me weak and men tailed my mother in traffic, desperate to buy our imported car.

From The Wall Street Journal

The wireless earphones will feature "Live Translation," which allows users to hear in their preferred language on their AirPods.

From BBC

“I was back in New York, and I was walking down the street and a guy looked up at me, pulled earphones out of his head and said, ‘Hey … you’re on my iPod!’

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023