wire·tap
ˈwī(-ə)r-ˌtap 
wiretapped; wiretapping; wiretaps
: to tap a telephone or telegraph wire or cellular signal in order to get information
: to tap the telephone of
1
: the act or an instance of wiretapping
2
: an electrical connection for wiretapping
Examples of wiretap in a Sentence
Verb
The FBI wiretapped his phone.
Noun
Federal agents put a wiretap on his phone.
Investigators listened to the wiretaps for clues about the suspect's whereabouts.
Recent Examples on the Web
Dell Cameron, WIRED, 12 Apr. 2024
The car was rented under Blanchard’s name, which allowed detectives the access to wiretap his phone and track his every move.
—Time, 13 July 2023
Despite the technology’s potential for good, of course, there is a clear Orwellian thread in the idea of a future where bad actors can wiretap your brain.
—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 26 May 2023
There were real-world flaws with the Russia investigation, especially how the F.B.I. botched applications to wiretap a former Trump campaign adviser.
—Charlie Savage, New York Times, 17 May 2023
The Justice Department’s inspector general, Michael Horowitz, issued a scathing report in December 2019 that criticized how the FBI won court orders to wiretap Carter Page, a Trump campaign adviser.
—Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 20 Jan. 2023
Steele's dossier, which was funded by Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee, was used by the FBI to convince a court to authorize a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant to wiretap former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page in October 2016.
—Daniel Chaitin, Washington Examiner, 26 Sep. 2020
In the wake of Robert’s murder, detectives decided to wiretap Sabrina and Hearn’s phones.
—Amanda Karrh, ABC News, 7 Apr. 2023
Those include pejorative text messages about Trump sent by former FBI employees who were involved in the Russia investigation, mistakes and omissions in applications to secretly wiretap a former Trump campaign adviser and the FBI questioning of former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
—Eric Tucker and Mary Clare Jalonick, Star Tribune, 10 Nov. 2020
Dell Cameron, WIRED, 12 Apr. 2024
He was caught on wiretaps discussing orders with Yandell, which included not just drugs but saw blades, screwdrivers, chargers, green paint and phones.
—Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 31 Mar. 2024
The aid of the FBI and the rare use of wiretaps in a state case reflect its significance.
—Sebastian Rotella, ProPublica, 22 Mar. 2024
The biggest hurdle to reauthorizing the program is a dispute between lawmakers over whether the government should get search warrants before looking up Americans using 702, a massive wiretap database full of millions of email, voice, and text conversations intercepted by spies.
—Dell Cameron, WIRED, 15 Mar. 2024
There were tantalizing references by Frank to any number of these murders on the various wiretaps that were ultimately done.
—Journal Sentinel, 1 Mar. 2024
Predator was primarily used against local politicians and journalists, but a Times investigation found that the spyware had also been used against a U.S. citizen who at the time was working as a manager for Meta while a Greek spy agency had a wiretap on her.
—Mark Mazzetti, New York Times, 18 July 2023
Prosecutors say that Gonzalez and his co-defendants were recorded on government wiretaps discussing various criminal activity, including the robbery plot.
—Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 2 Mar. 2024
The Section 702 program was last extended in December until April, when certifications issued by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court expire, ending a requirement that American companies cooperate with the intelligence community’s wiretap demands.
—Dell Cameron, WIRED, 12 Feb. 2024
Verb
Section 702 permits the US government to wiretap communications between Americans and foreigners overseas.
—Dell Cameron, WIRED, 12 Apr. 2024
The car was rented under Blanchard’s name, which allowed detectives the access to wiretap his phone and track his every move.
—Time, 13 July 2023
Despite the technology’s potential for good, of course, there is a clear Orwellian thread in the idea of a future where bad actors can wiretap your brain.
—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 26 May 2023
There were real-world flaws with the Russia investigation, especially how the F.B.I. botched applications to wiretap a former Trump campaign adviser.
—Charlie Savage, New York Times, 17 May 2023
The Justice Department’s inspector general, Michael Horowitz, issued a scathing report in December 2019 that criticized how the FBI won court orders to wiretap Carter Page, a Trump campaign adviser.
—Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 20 Jan. 2023
Steele's dossier, which was funded by Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee, was used by the FBI to convince a court to authorize a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant to wiretap former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page in October 2016.
—Daniel Chaitin, Washington Examiner, 26 Sep. 2020
In the wake of Robert’s murder, detectives decided to wiretap Sabrina and Hearn’s phones.
—Amanda Karrh, ABC News, 7 Apr. 2023
Those include pejorative text messages about Trump sent by former FBI employees who were involved in the Russia investigation, mistakes and omissions in applications to secretly wiretap a former Trump campaign adviser and the FBI questioning of former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
—Eric Tucker and Mary Clare Jalonick, Star Tribune, 10 Nov. 2020
Noun
The government argues that Americans are not themselves being targeted and thus the wiretaps are legal.
—Dell Cameron, WIRED, 12 Apr. 2024
He was caught on wiretaps discussing orders with Yandell, which included not just drugs but saw blades, screwdrivers, chargers, green paint and phones.
—Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 31 Mar. 2024
The aid of the FBI and the rare use of wiretaps in a state case reflect its significance.
—Sebastian Rotella, ProPublica, 22 Mar. 2024
The biggest hurdle to reauthorizing the program is a dispute between lawmakers over whether the government should get search warrants before looking up Americans using 702, a massive wiretap database full of millions of email, voice, and text conversations intercepted by spies.
—Dell Cameron, WIRED, 15 Mar. 2024
There were tantalizing references by Frank to any number of these murders on the various wiretaps that were ultimately done.
—Journal Sentinel, 1 Mar. 2024
Predator was primarily used against local politicians and journalists, but a Times investigation found that the spyware had also been used against a U.S. citizen who at the time was working as a manager for Meta while a Greek spy agency had a wiretap on her.
—Mark Mazzetti, New York Times, 18 July 2023
Prosecutors say that Gonzalez and his co-defendants were recorded on government wiretaps discussing various criminal activity, including the robbery plot.
—Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 2 Mar. 2024
The Section 702 program was last extended in December until April, when certifications issued by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court expire, ending a requirement that American companies cooperate with the intelligence community’s wiretap demands.
—Dell Cameron, WIRED, 12 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wiretap.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
Verb
1918, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense
Noun
1907, in the meaning defined at sense 1
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Cite this Entry
“Wiretap.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wiretap. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
wiretap
1 of 2 verb
wire·tap
ˈwī(ə)r-ˌtap
: to tap a telephone or telegraph wire to get information
wiretapper
noun
wiretap
2 of 2 noun
: the act or an instance of wiretapping
Legal Definition
wiretap
1 of 2 verb
wire·tap
ˈwīr-ˌtap
wiretapped; wiretapping
: to engage in wiretapping
had probable cause to wiretap
wiretap
2 of 2 noun1
: an act or instance of wiretapping
we have held previously that wiretaps are a form of a search—Whack v. State, 615 A.2d 1226 (1992)
Whack v. State, 615 A.2d 1226 (1992)2
: an electrical connection for wiretapping compare pen register
More from Merriam-Webster on wiretap
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for wiretap
Britannica English: Translation of wiretap for Arabic Speakers
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