handset

[hand-set, hand-set, -set]

noun

1. Also called French telephone. a telephone having a mouthpiece and earpiece mounted at opposite ends of a handle.

verb (used with object)

handset, handsetting 

1. to set (type) by hand.

adjective

1. (of type) set by hand.

2. (of a publication) printed directly from type set by hand.

handset

/ ˈhændˌsɛt /

noun

1. a telephone mouthpiece and earpiece mounted so that they can be held simultaneously to mouth and ear

Word History and Origins

Origin of handset¹

First recorded in 1915–20; hand + set

Example Sentences

O2 told its customers they had 30 days to leave their contracts without any termination charges - though if their plan included a handset, they would still have to pay that off in full.

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Currently it is only possible to use it to text emergency services from newer iPhone and Android handsets.

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That is likely to keep Apple’s share of the smartphone market steady at around 19.5%, but new launches and services, tied to its Apple Intelligence strategy, will see it squeezing more cash from each handset.

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Earlier this month the force made 18 arrests and seized 2,000 handsets in what the Met claimed to be the UK's largest-ever operation targeting phone thefts.

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It claims the firm forced Apple and Samsung to pay inflated prices and licensing fees for essential handset components, which then pushed up the cost of those smartphones for consumers.

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