Definition

Noun: A telephone receiver is the handheld component of a telephone that contains the earpiece. Its primary function is to convert electrical audio signals received through the telephone line back into audible sound waves that the user can hear.

Usage

The telephone receiver is the part you lift and hold to your ear during a call. * She picked up the telephone receiver to answer the call. * He spoke directly into the mouthpiece while listening through the telephone receiver.

Advanced Usage

• Historical Context: In early telephones, the receiver was often a separate unit from the mouthpiece (transmitter). The term specifically denotes the listening device.
• Technical Function: It operates as a transducer, specifically a miniature loudspeaker, converting electrical energy into acoustic energy.

Variants and Related Words

• Receiver: A more general term that can refer to the telephone receiver, but also to the part of a telephone that contains both the earpiece and mouthpiece (handset), or to a radio or television receiver.
• Handset: A common modern term for the entire handheld unit that combines both the telephone receiver (earpiece) and the transmitter (mouthpiece).
• Earpiece: A general term for any device placed in or near the ear to listen to sound; it can be synonymous with "receiver" in the context of telephony.

Synonyms

• Earpiece (in this specific context)

Notes

• The term "telephone receiver" is often shortened to simply "receiver" when the context is clear.
• In modern mobile phones, the function of the telephone receiver is integrated into the device, though the specific component is still technically a receiver.

Noun

1. earphone that converts electrical signals into sounds