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 Apple AirPods feature comfy earpieces to prevent ear pain, hours of listening time, deep sound, and more. —Hildara Araya, Parents, 1 Dec. 2025

Harris repeatedly pauses throughout the clip or stops mid-sentence to respond to the person speaking in her earpiece. —Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2025

Gustav suffers from heart problems; Skarsgård, who had a stroke three years ago, now uses an earpiece on set. —Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 14 Nov. 2025

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. —Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 5 Nov. 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