handset

noun

hand·​set ˈhan(d)-ˌset How to pronounce handset (audio)
: a combined telephone transmitter and receiver mounted on a handheld device

Examples of handset in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Three AAA batteries are required per handset to charge it. Nor'adila Hepburn, Southern Living, 17 Nov. 2023 The concerns over iPhone 12 radiation levels and a French sales ban emerged on the same day that Apple announced its new iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro handsets that are due to launch on September 22nd. Tom Warren, The Verge, 15 Sep. 2023 What's the fun of tearing open a new handset, tablet, or laptop without also tearing open a new accessory for said device? Stephanie Mlot, PCMAG, 12 July 2023 The company is constantly updating its Phone Link app to link Android and even iPhone handsets to Windows, and Microsoft has a close relationship with Samsung to ensure its mobile Office apps are preinstalled on Samsung’s Android handsets. Tom Warren, The Verge, 24 Oct. 2023 Recently the lower tier iPhones are being shipped with the previous generation, a choice that has led to more specs separation and the price differential between the vanilla and Pro handsets. Ewan Spence, Forbes, 18 Apr. 2023 Apple/Globalstar and Huawei/China Telecom services work for their very latest handsets (and will work with future devices), which have chips tuned to the bandwidth those companies have obtained from their legacy satellite networks. IEEE Spectrum, 12 Oct. 2023 French regulators ordered a ban of iPhone 12 models earlier this week after testing the handset and finding that its Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) — how much radio frequency is absorbed into a body from a device — exceeded European radiation exposure limits. Tom Warren, The Verge, 15 Sep. 2023 The Pixel 8 series doesn't have the Soli chip that powered that function in the older handset, but these new phones have the same capabilities. WIRED, 4 Oct. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'handset.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1901, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of handset was in 1901

Dictionary Entries Near handset

Cite this Entry

“Handset.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/handset. Accessed 2 Dec. 2023.

More from Merriam-Webster on handset

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!