eavesdropping

noun

eaves·​drop·​ping ˈēvz-ˌdrä-piŋ 

: the act of secretly listening to something private

Highly sophisticated means of electronic eavesdropping were developed and put into use, largely uncontrolled by the law.

—Wayne R. LaFave & Jerold H. Israel

For a moment, I was worried he'd found out about my eavesdropping the night before, but that didn't seem to be the problem.

—Rick Riordan

Examples of eavesdropping in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In addition to child molestation, Whaley is charged with six counts of creation of child pornography and 13 counts of eavesdropping and surveillance in Forsyth County, investigators said. —Tanasia Kenney, Miami Herald, 28 May 2025

And because many smart gadgets come equipped with microphones, hackers could even turn them into tools for eavesdropping and surveillance. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 6 May 2025

Apple users can now apply to claim their share of a $95 million cash payout to settle a class action case alleging Siri eavesdropping. —Kate O'Flaherty, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025

Christopher Furlong / Getty Images Given the stakes, extreme measures have been taken to avoid eavesdropping, not just sweeping the Sistine Chapel for bugs but shuttering its windows to prevent scanners from detecting vibrations of the cardinals’ words on the panes. —Alexander Smith, NBC news, 6 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1641, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for eavesdropping

• intercropping
• overtopping
• telescoping
• chopping
• copping
• cropping
• dropping
• flopping
• hopping
• lopping
• mopping
• popping