ear trumpet

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See synonyms for ear trumpet on Thesaurus.com

noun

a trumpet-shaped device held to the ear for collecting and intensifying sounds and once commonly used as an aid to hearing.

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Origin of ear trumpet

First recorded in 1770–80

Words nearby ear trumpet

earthwoman, earthwork, earthworm, earthy, ear to the ground, have one's, ear trumpet, ear tuft, earwax, earwig, earwigging, earwitness

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ear trumpet in a sentence

To make it still more difficult to converse with him, he was deaf, but used an ear-trumpet.
My Life in Many States and in Foreign Lands|George Francis Train
The ear trumpet is an illustration of a sound-collecting device, the waves being brought together by reflection.
Practical Mechanics for Boys|J. S. Zerbe
And Joe snatched the ear-trumpet out of his hand, and jerked it over a shed into the field behind.
The Strand Magazine, Volume V, Issue 28, April 1893|Various
He ignored the symptom and examined my heart carefully with a latest-popular-air-penny-in-the-slot ear-trumpet.
Sixes and Sevens|O. Henry

There at the corner, ear trumpet adjusted, and spectacles glistening, stood Debby Beasley.
Cy Whittaker's Place|Joseph C. Lincoln

British Dictionary definitions for ear trumpet

ear trumpet

noun

a trumpet-shaped instrument that amplifies sounds and is held to the ear: an old form of hearing aid

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012