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
Wayne R. LaFave & Jerold H. IsraelFor 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
Rick RiordanExamples of eavesdropping in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Among them a City boy wearing three Fit-Bit-type devices, two beautiful Middle Eastern sisters, an outrageously pompous elderly American (sorry; eavesdropping), and several Imelda Marcos lookalikes, tottering out of the treatment rooms with, somehow, their elaborate hairstyles still intact.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
Such opportunistic eavesdropping is challenging, because Starlink is consistently optimizing for its primary satellite Internet service by turning beams on and off, or sometimes switching beams as the fast-moving satellites talk to many different users, Kassas explained.
—Andrew Cunningham, ArsTechnica, 11 May 2026
Greylord was a watershed in its use of eavesdropping devices and a mole to obtain evidence instead of relying on wrongdoers to become government informants.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2026
Canvasser was arrested Wednesday and charged with unlawful eavesdropping or surveillance, according to police records.
—Sasha Pezenik, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for eavesdropping
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Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
Such opportunistic eavesdropping is challenging, because Starlink is consistently optimizing for its primary satellite Internet service by turning beams on and off, or sometimes switching beams as the fast-moving satellites talk to many different users, Kassas explained.
—Andrew Cunningham, ArsTechnica, 11 May 2026
Greylord was a watershed in its use of eavesdropping devices and a mole to obtain evidence instead of relying on wrongdoers to become government informants.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2026
Canvasser was arrested Wednesday and charged with unlawful eavesdropping or surveillance, according to police records.
—Sasha Pezenik, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for eavesdropping
Cite this Entry
“Eavesdropping.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eavesdropping. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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