Meaning & use
earcup
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
One of the two padded parts of a headset that cover or sit around your ears and hold a small speaker.
Grammar: Countable: one earcup, two earcups. Often used in the plural when talking about a headset.
Patterns
- a pair of earcups
- the left/right earcup
- replace an earcup
The left earcup on my headphones stopped working after I dropped them.
She adjusted the earcup so it fit more comfortably over her ear.
You can buy replacement earcups if the padding wears out.
nouncountable
A small protective cup worn over the ear to keep out cold, noise, or water.
Grammar: Countable; often plural because you normally wear two.
Patterns
- wear earcups
- noise-reducing earcups
- swimming earcups
The swimmers wore tight earcups to keep water out.
Factory workers are given earcups to protect their hearing.
He pulled the fur earcups down over his ears as the wind picked up.
Word forms
| plural | earcups |
|---|
Common combinations
- left earcup
- The left earcup is quieter than the right one.
- right earcup
- He pressed the button on the right earcup to pause the music.
- replacement earcups
- I ordered replacement earcups from the manufacturer.
- noise-cancelling earcups
- These noise-cancelling earcups block out the sound of the engine.
- adjust the earcup
- You can adjust the earcup to fit different head sizes.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
Commonly confused: earcup or earplug?
earcup vs earplug
An earplug is a small piece of material you put inside your ear to block sound or water, while an earcup goes over the outside of your ear.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
We say 'on' for a part that is attached to the outside of a device: the earcup is on the headphones. 'Of' is possible in some contexts but less natural here; 'in' suggests inside, and 'at' is not used for this relationship.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “earcup”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.