headset

noun

head·​set ˈhed-ˌset 

plural headsets

1

: a support framework with attached electronic devices that is worn on the head: such as

a

: an earphone or a pair of earphones held on the head by a band

Earbuds, tiny round speakers which fit snugly into the ear, are near-invisible as they don't use a headband, but they don't fit every ear. The traditional banded headsets either completely enclose the ear or just sit gently over the opening.

—Joe Brown

Using discreet headsets with single earpiece headphones, the free audio-described tour will be delivered by a professional audio describer.

—Lincoln Tan

… a hybrid tech earbud headset with magnetic tipped earbuds.

—Gregg Ellman

especially : such a headset that also includes an attached microphone

… you should seriously consider getting a separate microphone or using a headset with a decent boom mic for much better audio quality than anything these webcams can capture.

—Will Greenwald

All you need for this is a hands-free headset for your telephone. Once you're properly equipped, you can make personal phone calls while simultaneously using your computer for personal entertainment.

—Paul McFedries

b

: virtual reality hardware (such as goggles and headphones) that is held on the head by one or more bands or straps

… stitches together multiple images to create a panoramic, 360-degree environment, and provides a virtual-reality headset to put you in the middle of a real video. You merely glance left or right, up or down, to see a different portion of the 3-D world you're in.

—Jake Kirchner

2

: the support framework of a headset

… the wearable computer mounted in the headset of a pair of glasses …

—David McNamee

Examples of headset in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Shearn did 95% of the driving, all with zero visibility, using a noise-canceling helicopter headset. —Niyaz Pirani, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026

One by one, the enviable photos of the cool girls at video village in headsets, in hot tubs at weekend house rentals with their equally cool friend groups, or glammed up to receive awards for their creative projects were replaced by photos of minimalist light-wood bassinets. —Literary Hub, 9 Apr. 2026

Women astronauts Chris Birch and Jenni Gibbons can be seen on headset talking to the crew, while public affairs officer Leah Cheshier Mustachio hosts the YouTube live stream. —Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 9 Apr. 2026

Valve is bringing Steam Link, its local network game-streaming app, to Apple’s Vision Pro mixed reality headset, allowing Vision Pro users to play traditional games from their Steam library wirelessly from a nearby Mac or PC. —Samuel Axon, ArsTechnica, 7 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1900, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for headset

• abet
• asset
• baguette
• banquette
• barbette
• beget
• beset
• brevet
• briquette
• brunet
• brunette
• burette

Kids Definition

headset

noun

head·​set -ˌset 

: a pair of headphones