Thesaurus results for LISTEN IN

listen in (on)

verb

Definition of listen in (on)

as in to eavesdrop (on)

to listen to (another in private conversation) it's not polite to listen in on other people's private conversations

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for listen in (on)

Verb

Patterson wasn’t in court to hear the proceedings but listened to the arguments via a video link from a maximum-security prison.

— Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026
After hearing four days of testimony, a Collin County jury found Anthony, 19, guilty of murder following three hours of deliberation on June 9.

— Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of hear

Verb

There are methods to monitor workloads, whether by shortening starts or skipping them altogether.

— Chandler Rome, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
The government had checked a hundred and fifty thousand names against its files, actively monitoring immigrants and citizens alike, and deported at least seventy-eight people.

— Rozina Ali, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of monitor

Verb

Why does English football view spying as a heinous crime while other countries openly admit to using drones to study upcoming opponents?

— Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
The prevalence of LRDs in the early universe would align with the emergence of supermassive black holes, each weighing millions to billions of suns apiece, which astronomers spy at the hearts of large galaxies.

— Lee Billings, Scientific American, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of spy

Verb

While checking into his hotel in Paris three years ago, Lucas overheard a pair of rugby fans from South Africa talking about their monthlong stay in France for the tournament.

— Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 14 Aug. 2026
We weren’t allowed to leave the room to prevent anyone from overhearing our conversations and perhaps posting [the questions] on the Internet.

— Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of overhear

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

listening (to)

listen in (on)

listens

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“Listen in (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/listen%20in%20%28on%29. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of listen in (on)

verb

Example Sentences

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