headphones
- 01 A2 Elementary
a pair of small speakers you wear over or in your ears to listen to audio privately.
an electroacoustic transducer worn on or over the ears to convert electrical signals into audible sound for a single user.
Simple“He put on his headphones so he could listen to his music on the bus.”
In context“The noise-cancelling headphones proved essential for maintaining focus in the open-plan office during the busy afternoon shift.”
UsageUsually plural; treated as a countable noun when used with 'pair of'.
Teacher's tipWhile 'headphones' and 'earphones' are often used interchangeably, 'headphones' usually implies the larger style with a headband, whereas 'earphones' or 'earbuds' fit inside the ear.
PitfallI bought a new headphone yesterday. I bought a new pair of headphones yesterday.Like 'glasses' or 'trousers', 'headphones' is usually plural. Use 'a pair of' to refer to one unit.
From head + phones.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.