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

With personalized Spatial Audio and dynamic head tracking, these headphones place you at the center of a 360-degree soundstage, making even a trip to the grocery store feel like a movie montage. —Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 27 Mar. 2026

Maduro and Flores sat at the defense table between their lawyers, wearing jail uniforms and headphones to listen to the translation. —Regina Garcia Cano, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026

The outdoor theater setup includes a large screen, plenty of seating and personal wireless headphones for each patron. —Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Mar. 2026

When problems come up at school — like the program turning Oakley down for speech therapy, or someone taking her headphones away — Harris doesn’t see that as any one person’s fault, but rather as proof of problems in an entire system. —Kansas City Star, 26 Mar. 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