voyeurism

noun

voy·​eur·​ism vwä-ˈyər-ˌi-zəm  vȯi-ˈər- 

: the desires or behavior of a voyeur: such as

a

: the practice of obtaining sexual gratification from observing others

Psychiatrists generally divide paraphilias into two groups: those focused on objects, like a foot fetish, and those focused on behaviors, like exhibitionism, voyeurism or frottage …

—Benedict Carey

Ward, if he was guilty of anything at all, was guilty of observation. Looking, or (if you will) leering and ogling are not normally considered indictable offenses in British courts of law, but they do shade over into voyeurism …

—Paul Thomas

also : the criminal act of surreptitiously viewing a person without their consent in a place where the person has a reasonable expectation of privacy (such as a home or public bathroom) or of using a device (such as a camera) for the purpose of such viewing

A 21-year-old man has been charged with voyeurism for allegedly using his phone's camera to view the person using the restroom in the stall next to him in a dorm on the Notre Dame campus, according to court records.

—Melissa Hudson

b

: the practice of taking pleasure in observing something private, sordid, or scandalous

Now there's a volume for those who are … bored by the salacious voyeurism of tell-alls.

—Steven M. Zeitchik

Voyeurism allows us to experience all the excitement of disaster, catastrophe, and pain, to witness the most horrible human events, without any danger of feeling real pain.

—Gerald Mast

But the voice of the diarist … will always exert a fascination close to voyeurism.

—Rosellen Brown

Examples of voyeurism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Nixon was arrested on 24 counts of voyeurism and unlawful viewing, taping and recording. —Helena Wegner, Sacbee.com, 1 Aug. 2025

The photo included in some versions of the claim first appeared in an August 2018 article by The Advocate about a man, identified as 42-year-old James Vining, who was charged with voyeurism and other crimes. —Joe Rassel, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 July 2025

Jacobs-Jenkins is indulging your voyeurism too: Solomon (played by Harry Lennix) is an amalgam of various civil-rights figures, but most clearly Reverend Jesse Jackson. —Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 17 Mar. 2025

The incident was reported on July 11 at Fahey’s home where the two men from New York were arrested on voyeurism with malice, first-degree criminal trespassing and second-degree breach of peace charges. —Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 1 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1913, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

voyeurism

noun

voy·​eur·​ism -ˌiz-əm 

: the tendencies or behavior of a voyeur