Headphones: Definition, Types, and Usage Examples

Meaning 1：headphones (Headphones)

Headphones 🔊

/ˈhɛdˌfoʊnz/

A pair of devices you wear over or in your ears to listen to sound privately, like music or podcasts.

headphones 🔊

➕

/ˈhɛdˌfoʊnz/

A pair of devices worn over or inside the ears to listen to audio privately, commonly used for music, calls, or podcasts.

📁 Category：Technological Inventions 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

Compound of 'head' (top part of body) + 'phone' (from Greek 'phone' meaning sound or voice).

💡 Mnemonic

Imagine 'head' + 'phones' – your head has tiny phones stuck on the ears to make music just for you.

📖 Example

On the noisy subway, my headphones are my best friend, letting me enjoy my favorite playlist in peace. 🔊 On the noisy subway, my headphones are my best friend, letting me enjoy my favorite playlist in peace.

🔗 Collocations

noise-canceling headphones – Headphones that actively reduce ambient noise.

wireless headphones – Headphones that connect via Bluetooth without cables.

over-ear headphones – Headphones with cups that fully enclose the ears.

🔄 Synonyms

earphones (n.) – Small audio devices that fit inside the ear canal.

headset (n.) – Headphones combined with a microphone for communication.

cans (n.) – Slang term for large over-ear headphones.

🚫 Antonyms

speakers (n.) – Devices that broadcast sound openly to a room.

earbuds (n.) – Very small in-ear headphones, often with no headband.

🌱 Derivatives

headphone (n.) – A single unit of a pair of headphones.

headphone jack (n.) – A socket for plugging in headphones.

headphone amplifier (n.) – A device that boosts audio signal for headphones.

📖 Cultural Story

The term 'headphones' emerged in the early 20th century with the rise of radio and telephony. Initially large and heavy, they evolved into personal audio devices for private listening.