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

There’s still a frequent unsavory whiff of exploitation and voyeurism to kidnapping films. —Dennis Harvey, Variety, 17 Apr. 2025

There are sections on orgies and masturbation and voyeurism and how to behave in a porno theater. —Dwight Garner, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025

Thomas Stack was charged by Westlake, Ohio police with a felony count of voyeurism, court records say. —Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY, 13 Mar. 2025

The film’s cinematography reinforces its themes of voyeurism and moral scrutiny. —Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Feb. 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