headset

noun

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head·set | \ ˈhed-ˌset

plural headsets

Definition of headset

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 especially : such a headset that also includes an attached microphone 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 Google Glass—the wearable computer mounted in the headset of a pair of glasses—was launched by the data giant in February 2013.— David McNamee

Examples of headset in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web How to choose the best headset for gaming for your PC, PlayStation or Xbox. — NBC News, "Health experts urge spring Covid caution, FBI intel failures in spotlight, plus latest on Tiger Woods," 24 Feb. 2021 The new headset will work on all three platforms, and will be available March 16. — Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "Microsoft's Xbox Wireless Headset feels like affordable Surface Headphones," 16 Feb. 2021 Once the machine is built and the headset hooked up, the player will need to carve out a dedicated physical space to play the game. — Matthew Gault, Wired, "Billionaires See VR as a Way to Avoid Radical Social Change," 15 Feb. 2021 HyperX Cloud Alpha wired gaming headset for $79.99 at Amazon (normally $95). — Ars Staff, Ars Technica, "The Apple Watch Series 6 is $60 off at Amazon today," 22 Dec. 2020 If ever there were a year to try a gadget that can drop you into an alternate reality, this is it, and the Oculus Quest 2 ($299) virtual reality headset from Facebook is the exact right tool for the job. — Jennifer Jolly, USA TODAY, "Tired of 2020 stealing your joy? 11 tech tools to help make the holidays more jolly," 24 Nov. 2020 Few rushed to spend hundreds of dollars on a clunky new headset or learn the ropes of virtual reality meeting software. — CBS News, "A look back at the big wins and fails in technology in 2020," 1 Jan. 2021 Ruppert said her seizure began after viewing a sequence in the game in which the player’s character puts on a headset that flashes lights rapidly on the screen. — Washington Post, "A journalist had a seizure while playing ‘Cyberpunk 2077.’ Then she helped change the game.," 31 Dec. 2020 Stephens-Brown raised donations and bought microphones, a headset and an FM transmitter. — Richard Read Seattle Bureau Chief, Los Angeles Times, "A baritone finds a safe way choirs can sing together again: over car radios," 30 Dec. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'headset.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.