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

Another way of disrupting spyware is to turn your iPhone off and on again. —Kate O'Flaherty, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025

Malware like viruses and spyware can delay or suspend your internet connection and put your personal data at risk. —Kara McGinley, USA Today, 11 June 2025

Sophos also warns you any time a program accesses your webcam, to foil peeping spyware. —PC Magazine, 9 June 2025

Staying current with your software is one of the easiest and most effective ways to block malware, ransomware and spyware from infiltrating your system. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 31 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