voyeurism

noun

voy·​eur·​ism vwä-ˈyər-ˌi-zəm  vȯi-ˈər- 

: the desires or behavior of a voyeur: such as

a

: the practice of obtaining sexual gratification from observing others

Psychiatrists generally divide paraphilias into two groups: those focused on objects, like a foot fetish, and those focused on behaviors, like exhibitionism, voyeurism or frottage …

—Benedict Carey

Ward, if he was guilty of anything at all, was guilty of observation. Looking, or (if you will) leering and ogling are not normally considered indictable offenses in British courts of law, but they do shade over into voyeurism …

—Paul Thomas

also : the criminal act of surreptitiously viewing a person without their consent in a place where the person has a reasonable expectation of privacy (such as a home or public bathroom) or of using a device (such as a camera) for the purpose of such viewing

A 21-year-old man has been charged with voyeurism for allegedly using his phone's camera to view the person using the restroom in the stall next to him in a dorm on the Notre Dame campus, according to court records.

—Melissa Hudson

b

: the practice of taking pleasure in observing something private, sordid, or scandalous

Now there's a volume for those who are … bored by the salacious voyeurism of tell-alls.

—Steven M. Zeitchik

Voyeurism allows us to experience all the excitement of disaster, catastrophe, and pain, to witness the most horrible human events, without any danger of feeling real pain.

—Gerald Mast

But the voice of the diarist … will always exert a fascination close to voyeurism.

—Rosellen Brown

Examples of voyeurism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

David Van Moorsel, a 28-year-old personal trainer, is now facing over 100 felony charges, including 40 counts of digital voyeurism, 40 counts of unlawful use of a two-way communication device and 30 counts of possession of child pornography, the Volusia Sheriff’s Office announced July 2. —Olivia Lloyd july 2, Miami Herald, 2 July 2025

Officials began investigating the incident and, with assistance from ICE, served warrants Tuesday for criminal trespass and voyeurism at a location on S. 13th Street in Hamilton, a northwest suburb of Cincinnati, police said. —Audrey Conklin, FOXNews.com, 26 June 2025

Additional counts of child molestation and public voyeurism were filed against Garner on June 2, bringing the case to a total of 48 charges. —Ryan Murphy, IndyStar, 3 June 2025

Jane claimed Diddy liked to use voyeurism and escapism. —Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 11 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1913, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

voyeurism

noun

voy·​eur·​ism -ˌiz-əm 

: the tendencies or behavior of a voyeur