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Glite Dictionary
earbud

earbud

12 2.7
A small headphone that fits inside the ear to listen privately
  • noun
  • /ˈɪərˌbəd/
translation icon : auricular
  • She put on her earbud to listen to her favorite music without disturbing anyone.
  • earbud speaker

Unlike some other options, Raycon earbuds are both stylish and discreet.

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Examples

  • A pair of students are wearing earbuds and playing a keyboard attached to a computer.

    Academic text (2006)

  • That's why I recommend wireless earbuds from Raycon.

  • So if you need a really comfortable pair of earbuds, you can throw these in.

    UrAvgConsumer

  • And for our budget conscious senators, try our more affordable earbud version.

  • The battery in your earbuds just died.

  • These are wireless earbuds from Master and Dynamic.

  • These are definitely the smartest earbuds out right now.

  • If you're going to get earbuds at all, please get those.

    Marques Brownlee

  • Juanito sat up and pulled the earbuds out of his ears.

    Blog text (30)

  • Bose Sport earbuds stick and stay right in your ears comfortably for hours.

Synonyms

headphone
vsearbud
99 1.0

A device you wear on your head or in your ears to listen to music

is meant to fit inside a single ear rather than cover both ears
headset
vsearbud
54 1.3

A pair of headphones you wear over your head with a microphone for listening and speaking

is only for private listening and does not include a microphone for speaking
earpiece
vsearbud
28 3.3

A small device you put in or over the ear to hear sound from a phone

is for private listening without emphasis on being hidden
earphone
vsearbud
19 3.2

A small device you put in or over your ear to listen to sound privately

is limited to fitting fully inside the ear rather than also over it
earplug
vsearbud
1 3.0

A small earphone put into the ear to listen to music or phone calls

is for sitting in the outer ear rather than deep in the canal

How In-Ear

earplug
1 3.0
earbud
12 2.7

Surface Forms

earbud singular
earbuds plural

Morphology

earbud = ear + bud (semi-transparent) = ear + bud

The components 'ear' and 'bud' are recognizable, but 'bud' here is an extended, product-name sense meaning a small earphone, which is not an immediately obvious meaning of 'bud' for many learners.

Etymology

The word earbud comes from joining ear and bud, where bud suggests a 'small part' like a flower bud. So an earbud is a tiny headphone that fits inside the ear for private listening.