ENGLISH
REFERENCE

headphones

n. C / U
A2 Elementary US //ˈhɛdˌfoʊnz// UK //hˈɛdfəʊnz// head·phones

n. a piece of equipment that you wear over your ears so you can listen to music or sounds without other people hearing.

n. a pair of small speakers worn over or in the ears, connected by a band or wire, used for private listening to audio signals.


SIMPLE

I always wear headphones when I listen to music on the bus.

CONTEXTUAL

She put on her noise-canceling headphones to block out the sound of the airplane engine during the long flight.

COMPLEX

High-fidelity headphones allow audiophiles to perceive subtle nuances in a recording that might be lost when played through standard external speakers.

Synonyms
Origin

From head + phones.

Usage

Usually used in the plural; when referring to a single unit, it is often called 'a pair of headphones'.

Pitfall

I bought a new headphoneI bought some new headphonesLike 'glasses' or 'scissors', this word is typically plural even when referring to one item.

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