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

The boogie-woogie vibe instilled by Federici’s jangly piano pegs it as a pool hall hit rather than the headphones-listening and ponderous nature of the original. —Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025

Bailey, with headphones on, listened as the spirit box raced through radio frequencies for answers to questions the guests asked. —Jim Beaugez, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2025

Sitting somewhere, putting on shoes, eating an apple, listening in headphones that sort of progresses into something a bit wilder. —Ellise Shafer, Variety, 22 Oct. 2025

As for Elite World Group’s partnership with Asia Kingston, this also extends to the development of tech gadgets, encompassing the likes of earphones, headphones, portable speakers, smartwatches and power banks. —Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2025

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