Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A part, as of a telephone receiver or hearing aid, that fits in or is held next to the ear.
  • noun An earphone, especially when not part of a pair.
  • noun Either of the two parts of an eyeglasses frame that extend over or around the ear.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A name given to the side-piece of the burganet or open helmet of the sixteenth century, usually made of splints, and covering a leather strap or chin-band to which they are riveted. Compare cheek-piece. Also called oreillère.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun a device for converting electric signals into sounds, designed to be held over or inserted into the ear.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A speaker placed inside or held near to the ear.
  • noun The arm on a pair of glasses that hooks over the ear to hold them in place.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun electro-acoustic transducer for converting electric signals into sounds; it is held over or inserted into the ear

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

ear + piece

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Examples

  • UPDATE: The main article I link to below has been pulled, so we should assume that the author's allegation, that Romney's staff admits he wears an earpiece, is no longer proven.

    More on Romney potentially wearing an earpiece 2008

  • UPDATE: The main article I link to below has been pulled, so we should assume that the author's allegation, that Romney's staff admits he wears an earpiece, is no longer proven.

    More on Romney potentially wearing an earpiece 2008

  • The excuse with the earpiece is very lame, but the management can’t use this “technical problem” every time she sings live.

    Taylor Swift’s Grammy 2010 Performance: Label CEO Blames Technical Issue 2010

  • On TV, what's going on in your earpiece is the most important thing; you have to try to take notice of that – but that's quite hard when you're trying to have a serious conversation with someone.

    My greatest mistake: Gabby Logan 2010

  • Dr. Keith Black, for example, who is the chairman of neurosurgery at Cedars, suggests always using a wired earpiece, which is something that he does.

    CNN Transcript Jul 24, 2008 2008

  • The MoGo Talk's Bluetooth headset also features a folding earpiece, which is pretty much a necessity so it can fold flat and piggyback in the iPhone case.

    OhGizmo! Andrew Liszewski 2010

  • The MoGo Talk's Bluetooth headset also features a folding earpiece, which is pretty much a necessity so it can fold flat and piggyback in the iPhone case.

    OhGizmo! Andrew Liszewski 2010

  • The MoGo Talk's Bluetooth headset also features a folding earpiece, which is pretty much a necessity so it can fold flat and piggyback in the iPhone case.

    OhGizmo! 2010

  • The X10 has a couple of issues - the earpiece is a bit on the quiet side, so if you're the kind of person who finds yourself trying to communicate in noisy bars and clubs you might have some issues with it.

    Gizmag Emerging Technology Magazine 2010

  • The X10 has a couple of issues - the earpiece is a bit on the quiet side, so if you're the kind of person who finds yourself trying to communicate in noisy bars and clubs you might have some issues with it.

    Gizmag Emerging Technology Magazine 2010

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