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

Jan should scan her computer for viruses, worms, and spyware …

—Kenneth 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

Depending on what was left of it after any spyware removal, it might be scrapped, refitted or passed over entirely. —Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 23 May 2025

The spyware industry is almost entirely unregulated. —Ronald J. Deibert, Foreign Affairs, 24 Apr. 2025

The ruling on May 6 marks a major win for privacy advocates that have fought against the company’s spyware. —Grace Gilson, Sun Sentinel, 12 May 2025

Apple says Lockdown Mode has prevented spyware attacks in numerous cases. —Kate O'Flaherty, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1994, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for spyware

• abwehr
• affair
• affaire
• airfare
• altair
• armchair
• aware
• beware
• bugbear
• carfare
• childcare
• compare

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