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

Satellite communications are inherently vulnerable to cyber threats, including eavesdropping, signal jamming and data interception. —Iri Trashanki, Forbes.com, 12 May 2025

Judge Margaret Garnett asked prosecutor Dominic Gentile about the eavesdropping. —Lorena O'Neil, Rolling Stone, 25 Apr. 2025

Shooting down an eavesdropping drone might not qualify. —Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 22 Apr. 2025

The government’s most sensitive information is typically discussed in a facility known as a sensitive compartmented information facility, or SCIF, which is designed to allow officials to review or discuss secrets without fear of eavesdropping or cyber intrusion. —David Klepper, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 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