Meaning & use
hands-free device
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A piece of equipment that lets you talk on a phone or use a device without holding it with your hands.
Grammar: Countable; use a/an or the, and plural -s: a hands-free device, two hands-free devices.
Patterns
- a hands-free device for something
- use a hands-free device
You must use a hands-free device while driving in many countries.
She bought a hands-free device so she could take calls while cooking.
The new hands-free device connects to your phone by Bluetooth.
Word forms
| plural | hands-free devices |
|---|
Common combinations
- use a hands-free device
- Drivers are encouraged to use a hands-free device.
- a hands-free device for the car
- He installed a hands-free device for the car.
- a Bluetooth hands-free device
- This Bluetooth hands-free device pairs easily.
- a hands-free device is required
- A hands-free device is required by law here.
Synonyms and how they differ
- hands-free kit
- A common British term for the same thing, often a set of parts you add to a phone.
- headset
- A headset is one type of hands-free device worn on the head; a hands-free device can also be a speaker or earpiece.
Word family
- hands-free adjective
- Describing something you can use without holding it.
Commonly confused: hands-free device or handsfree?
hands-free device vs handsfree
Some people write it without a hyphen, but the standard spelling is hands-free.
Practice
Which sentence uses the term correctly?
Choose one answer.
The second sentence correctly uses the countable noun hands-free device with the verb used. The third has a plural verb with a singular noun, and the fourth uses it as a verb, which is wrong.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hands-free device”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.