headphone

noun

head·​phone ˈhed-ˌfōn 

plural headphones

: an earphone held over the ear by a band worn on the head

—usually plural

So for the gamer to gain that "edge," he must have the best mouse, the smoothest mouse pad or the most sensitive headphones.

—Chris Yong

Strapping on cushy headphones the size of loaves of bread, I'd repeatedly listen to Mingus' "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" and the music of artists such as Jelly Roll Morton and Billie Holiday.

—Robert Wilder

also : a small earphone inserted into the ear : earbud

in-ear headphones

Examples of headphone in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Management's move accelerated revenues within Apple's wearables segment, and helped cement the company's dominance in the wireless headphones market. —Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 10 Apr. 2026

Better to simply scroll through his phone and turn up the volume in his headphones. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2026

One of the brand's most recent experiments was the Dyson Zone, which combined noise-cancelling headphones with a face visor that blew air toward your nose and mouth. —James Peckham, PC Magazine, 9 Apr. 2026

In a solo image, Moses posed for the camera white seated in a jet, pairing his plain white shirt with a pair of black headphones. —Lara Walsh, InStyle, 8 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1908, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for headphone

• alone
• atone
• backbone
• bemoan
• bluestone
• breastbone
• brownstone
• capstone
• cheekbone
• condone
• curbstone
• cyclone

Kids Definition

headphone

noun

head·​phone ˈhed-ˌfōn 

: an earphone held over the ear by a band worn on the head

—usually used in plural