bone conduction

American

noun

Medicine/Medical.

the transmission of sound vibrations to the internal ear through the cranial bones (opposed to air conduction).

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

At the time, most researchers thought these animals primarily detected sound through bone conduction, or through so-called "jaw listening," by placing their lower jaws against the ground to sense vibrations.

From Science Daily • Jan. 19, 2026

Perhaps someday listening to recordings of voices, including one’s own, with bone conduction devices could help doctors make diagnoses, if the tool’s performance could be linked to psychiatric disorders.

From New York Times • Feb. 14, 2023

This is when Dr. Morikawa gave me an impromptu lesson in the bio logical miracle that is bone conduction.

From Slate • Oct. 13, 2021

The new earbuds utilize both beamforming mics and bone conduction sensors to know when you’re speaking and when you’re not.

From The Verge • Jun. 8, 2021

We might work up bone conduction on a commercial model.

From The Creature from Cleveland Depths by Leiber, Fritz

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023