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Synonyms

headphones

British  
/ ˈhɛdˌfəʊnz /

plural noun

  1. Informal name: cans.  an electrical device consisting of two earphones held in position by a flexible metallic strap passing over the head

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

The Gen Z apprentice on my team, Gyasi, told me he found them "a bit of a nuisance", specifically because you need headphones to listen to them.

From BBC • Apr. 25, 2026

But now, without his headphones, he enjoyed listening to birds sing as he took walks around Washington.

From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026

Lithium-ion batteries have become exceedingly common amid a proliferation of chargeable electronics, including smartphones, laptops, headphones, e-cigarettes, vacuums and e-bikes.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026

Participants in the study listened to a range of sounds through headphones while background noise played at the same time.

From Science Daily • Mar. 20, 2026

“Ah yes. Like a security blanket, Amelia was using her noise-canceling headphones to soothe her sound sensitivity, making her social isolation worse.”

From "Muffled" by Jennifer Gennari

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.