handset

handset — noun

1. The casing of a mobile device that holds the screen and internal electronics, so

1.nounB2
Definition

The casing of a mobile device that holds the screen and internal electronics, sold or replaced separately from the battery and SIM card — if your phone breaks, you might keep the battery and buy just a new handset.

Example

Hui bought a replacement handset after cracking the screen of her old phone.

handset as replaceable hardware component

Kian's handset stopped charging, so he took it to a repair shop near the station.

Common collocations
  • handset manufacturer
  • handset design
  • handset market
  • handset model
  • handset sales
  • replace the handset
  • buy a handset
Synonyms
  • phone body

    more general and less technical than 'handset'; used in everyday conversation

  • phone casing

    focuses specifically on the outer shell rather than the internal electronics

  • device body

    broader term that applies to tablets and other mobile electronics as well

Grammar Patterns

handset + verb (the handset features/stops)

Usage Note

In mobile-phone retail and repair contexts, this term refers specifically to the device body without the removable battery or SIM card — not the whole functioning phone with accessories.

Common Mistakes

I dropped my handset and the screen broke, but the battery was fine.
I dropped my phone and the screen broke, but the battery was fine.
'handset' in this sense excludes the battery by definition, so mentioning battery separately is redundant unless distinguishing the phone body from the battery.
Handset' when you mean 'headset' (headphones with a microphone).
Use 'headset' for gaming or call-centre headsets that go over the head.

2. The curved piece on a wired telephone that fits between your ear and mouth, lett

2.nounB1
Definition

The curved piece on a wired telephone that fits between your ear and mouth, letting you hear callers and speak back to them through one combined handle — also called a receiver.

Example

Tamar picked up the handset and dialled her grandmother's phone number.

pick up + the handset (common collocation)

Christopher placed the handset back on the cradle after finishing the call to his boss.

place / put + the handset back on the cradle

Common collocations
  • pick up the handset
  • put down the handset
  • replace the handset
  • cradle the handset
  • handset cord
  • slam down the handset
Synonyms
  • receiver

    shorter and slightly more common in everyday use; 'handset' is more precise in technical contexts

  • telephone receiver

    fully explicit, used in formal or instructional writing

  • earpiece

    narrower — refers only to the listening part, not the whole handle

Grammar Patterns

pick up / put down / replace + the handset

Usage Note

This sense is becoming less frequent as landline telephones are replaced by mobile phones, but it remains common in office settings, hotels, and older buildings. Distinguished from sense 1 by referring to the detachable receiver of a wired telephone rather than the body of a mobile device.

Common Mistakes

She picked up the mobile phone handset and made a call.
She picked up the receiver of the landline phone and made a call.
Mobile phones do not have a separate 'handset' in this sense; use 'phone' or 'mobile' instead.

Word family

  • handheld
    adjectiveB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

These words all relate to the part of a phone used for speaking and listening, but they differ in precision. 'Handset' is the most specific term for the single handle containing both the speaker and microphone of a traditional landline telephone. 'Receiver' is a near-synonym and slightly more common in casual speech — you 'pick up the receiver' when a phone rings. 'Earpiece' refers to just the listening end, not the whole handle, so it is narrower. 'Telephone' is the entire device, so saying 'He picked up the telephone' could mean the whole unit, not just the handset. In practice: 'She lifted the handset from the cradle' is precise; 'She answered the phone' is the everyday expression.

handset ↗receiver ↗earpiecetelephone ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • handset manufacturer
  • handset design
  • handset market
  • handset model
  • handset sales
  • handset colour
  • handset cord

Phrases

  • pick up the handset
  • put down the handset
  • replace the handset
  • slam down the handset

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

The word 'handset' is a compound of 'hand' (from Old English 'hand') and 'set' (from Old English 'settan', meaning to place or fix). It was first used in the late 19th century to describe the combined earpiece-and-mouthpiece unit of the newly invented telephone, which was designed to be held in one hand — replacing earlier designs with separate parts. In the late 20th century, the term was extended to describe the main body of a mobile phone.