earpiece

noun

ear·​piece ˈir-ˌpēs 

1

: the part of an instrument (such as a telephone, stethoscope, or hearing aid) that is placed against or inserted into the outer opening of the ear

especially : earphone

2

: one of the two sidepieces that support eyeglasses by passing over or behind the ears

Examples of earpiece in a Sentence

the earpiece of a stethoscope

Recent Examples on the Web

The following images included a close-up of Moses playing guitar with an earpiece in, and another black-and-white shot of him and his band performing on stage. —Kimberlee Speakman, People.com, 30 July 2025

Voices in the earpiece are perfectly clear and plenty loud at 79dB. The phone's ability to dampen background noise works well. —PC Magazine, 17 July 2025

The screen sits beneath a thick top bezel that also houses an earpiece speaker, a large Unihertz logo plate, and the front-facing camera. —PC Magazine, 25 July 2025

Each set came with eight earpieces with long cords. —IEEE Spectrum, 3 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1824, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

earpiece

noun

ear·​piece -ˌpēs 

: a part of an instrument (as a telephone) that is placed against or in the ear

especially : earphone

Medical Definition

earpiece

noun

ear·​piece ˈi(ə)r-ˌpēs 

1

: a part of an instrument (as a stethoscope or hearing aid) that is inserted into the outer opening of the ear

2

: one of the two sidepieces that support eyeglasses by passing over or behind the ears