handset

[ noun hand-set; verb adjective 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)

, hand·set, hand·set·ting.

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

If you need to lend your phone to someone, but still worry about their unfettered access to your handset, know that you can lock people inside one particular app or prevent them from installing anything while you’re not looking.

From Popular-Science

You can still pair them with other Android handsets, but you’re going to lose key parts of the software integration.

From TechCrunch

For one thing, premium handsets got expensive, routinely topping out over $1,000.

From TechCrunch

It says it faces competition from Google’s Android operating system, which is used by competing handset makers like Samsung and Google itself.

From Washington Post

Nokia-branded handsets are not only a source of anonymized customer data, or first-party data, for targeting and measurement, they’re also a source of telemetry data on how the phone is being used.

From Digiday

One of the biggest choices Google has to make going forward is in mobile handset development.

From The Daily Beast

It owns Motorola, but handset producers like Samsung and LG make the most popular phones that run on Android.

From The Daily Beast

To get at the rest, Google created Android and gives it away free to handset makers.

From The Daily Beast

Android is created by Google but used by dozens of handset makers, including Samsung, HTC and Motorola.

From The Daily Beast

Microsoft, too, has been shaking down Android handset makers, demanding royalties on every phone they sell.

From The Daily Beast

Another man quickly picked up a handset and spoke briefly into it.

From Project Gutenberg

He picked up the nearest handset, saw that it was to the galley, and switched quickly.

From Project Gutenberg

He took a small handset from his pocket and pressed the stud.

From Project Gutenberg

He lifted the handset from its cradle and dialed the operator.

From Project Gutenberg