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

As Harvey is asking a question in an interview, the pit producer is often communicating with Harvey through the earpiece with instructions for the length of the interview and other information. —Bruce Martin, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025

At times, the actors would have an earpiece and sing live. —Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2025

The device also features only a single speaker in the earpiece, lacking the bottom-firing speaker found on other iPhone models. —Maya Ackerman, Fortune, 10 Sep. 2025

For media playback, the Pixel 10 produces stereo audio from the earpiece and down-firing speaker. —PC Magazine, 4 Sep. 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