spyware

noun

spy·​ware ˈspī-ˌwer How to pronounce spyware (audio)
: software that is installed in a computer or mobile device without the user's knowledge and that transmits information about the user's activities
Jan should scan her computer for viruses, worms, and spywareKenneth Baldauf and Ralph Stair
Smartphones belonging to more than three dozen journalists, human rights activists, and business executives have been infected with powerful spyware that an Israeli firm sells, purportedly to catch terrorists and criminals, The Washington Post and other publications reported.Dan Goodin

Examples of spyware in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
His security forces had installed Pegasus, the Israeli spyware, on the phones of some reporters, according to interviews and an investigation by researchers from the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab. T. Christian Miller, ProPublica, 30 Sep. 2025 Installing strong antivirus software is essential to protect your device from malware, spyware or other security threats that may be lurking. Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2025 News reports raise questions about how those tools are deployed, the oversight governing commercial spyware and data-broker services, and the operational timelines for bringing complex systems into active use. Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 19 Sep. 2025 The tech giant has built in a feature called Memory Integrity Enforcement, which is designed to stop attacks targeting memory corruption bugs, often exploited by spyware developers and phone forensic tools used by law enforcement, TechCrunch reports. Thomas Brewster, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for spyware

Word History

First Known Use

1994, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of spyware was in 1994

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Cite this Entry

“Spyware.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spyware. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

spyware

noun
spy·​ware
ˈspī-ˌwer
: software that is installed in a computer or mobile device without the user's knowledge and that transmits information about the user's activities

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