wiretap

verb

wire·tap | \ ˈwī(-ə)r-ˌtap

wiretapped; wiretapping; wiretaps

Definition of wiretap

(Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

: to tap a telephone or telegraph wire or cellular signal in order to get information

transitive verb

: to tap the telephone of

wiretap

noun

Definition of wiretap (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : the act or an instance of wiretapping

2 : an electrical connection for wiretapping

Examples of wiretap in a Sentence

Verb

The FBI wiretapped his phone.

Noun

Federal agents put a wiretap on his phone. Investigators listened to the wiretaps for clues about the suspect's whereabouts.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

A month after Trump adviser Carter Page publicly asked then-Director James Comey for an interview to clear his name, the FBI obtained a warrant to wiretap him. — Lee Smith, WSJ, "What if the FBI Had Probed Obama?," 23 Jan. 2019 Specifically, Republican lawmakers have asserted that the FBI misused a secret surveillance court to get approval to wiretap former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. — Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY, "Justice inspector general opens probe of possible surveillance abuses in Russia election case," 28 Mar. 2018 The document offers a new timeline of wiretap orders in the case based on Dawkins' request for the recordings to be thrown out because an April 7 order to wiretap his phone was missing the name of the official who authorized it. — Chris White, The Courier-Journal, "Were Rick Pitino's calls with an Adidas executive recorded?," 10 Mar. 2018 The investigation began when DEA agents bought heroin from one of the men in September 2017 and a federal judge gave the agency permission to wiretap the defendants, a statement from U.S. Attorney Ben Glassman said. — Sarah Brookbank, Cincinnati.com, "Feds: Butler County heroin ring was sending drug money to Mexico," 1 Feb. 2018 Some believe Trump’s Twitter account has jolted sensibilities so often — from ghastly attacks on cable talking heads Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski to baseless accusations about Trump Tower wiretaps — that outlandish is the new reigning norm. — Kyle Swenson, Washington Post, "Trump’s Hillary Clinton tweet: Does it violate Twitter’s rules on violence?," 18 Sep. 2017 In 2015, Macedonia’s conservative government was accused of using the national security services to wiretap up to 20,000 people for its own political gain. — Sarah Wilson Sokhey, Washington Post, "This is why the West should pay attention to the drama in Macedonia," 29 May 2017 One of the recordings released after a fight with Congress and the courts revealed the president’s involvement in attempts to stymie an investigation into an attempt to wiretap the Democratic National Committee. — Chris Strohm, Bloomberg.com, "White House Refuses to Say Whether Trump Tapes Conversations," 12 May 2017 There are transcripts of a conversation in at least one phone call, recorded by American intelligence agencies that wiretap foreign diplomats, which may determine Mr. Flynn’s future. — David E. Sanger, Eric Schmitt And Peter Baker, New York Times, "Turmoil at the National Security Council, From the Top Down," 12 Feb. 2017

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Former senior Justice Department officials who handled applications for wiretap warrants under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) say that such applications typically include dozens of pages and undergo rigorous vetting. — Author: Ellen Nakashima, Anchorage Daily News, "Officials: Justice Department told court of political influence in wiretap request," 3 Feb. 2018 That legal standard is essentially the same as the one courts use when approving routine search warrants and wiretap orders in criminal cases. — Brad Heath, USA TODAY, "Nunes memo release: What you need to know about the controversial document," 2 Feb. 2018 Rauner's campaign had to reserve 30-minute time slots for the extended ad, because TV stations do not sell ad time in increments long enough to play the full wiretap recordings. — Bloomberg.com, "Illinois Governor to Air Ad of Rival, Blagojevich on Wiretap," 18 Jan. 2018 Law enforcement conducted surveillance of the transaction after securing court authorization to wiretap certain telephones. — Jacqueline Serrato, chicagotribune.com, "50 people charged for trafficking of heroin, fentanyl and marijuana in Chicago area," 13 June 2018 The wiretaps began in December 2017 as part of an investigation into Javier Rodriguez, who Drug Enforcement Administration agents suspect led a local methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine and marijuana trafficking operation. — Matthew Glowicki, The Courier-Journal, "Federal records: Wiretaps unravel Louisville drug trafficking, January slaying," 2 Mar. 2018 Ironically, the wiretap that Soto-Perez's precautions made necessary revealed facts and evidence we might never have obtained otherwise. — Peter Martinez, CBS News, "Wiretap investigation leads to seizure of more than 30 pounds of fentanyl in Massachusetts," 8 Feb. 2018 The attorney general’s office admitted in court that no board members were linked to wiretap evidence or found in possession of unexplained wealth. — Mary Anastasia O’grady, WSJ, "The U.S. Funds Guatemalan Abuse," 19 Aug. 2018 At his appeal before the Civil Service Commission, Arellano argued that the wiretap evidence should be suppressed. — Maya Lau, latimes.com, "L.A. sheriff's narcotics detective accused of involvement in drug-trafficking operation can't be fired, court says," 20 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'wiretap.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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More Definitions for wiretap

wiretap

verb

English Language Learners Definition of wiretap

(Entry 1 of 2)

: to place a device on (someone's phone) in order to secretly listen to telephone calls

wiretap

noun

English Language Learners Definition of wiretap (Entry 2 of 2)

: a device that allows someone to secretly listen to phone conversations

: a conversation that has been recorded using a wiretap

See the full definition for wiretap in the English Language Learners Dictionary

wiretap

verb

wire·tap | \ ˈwīr-ˌtap

wiretapped; wiretapping

Legal Definition of wiretap

(Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

: to engage in wiretapping had probable cause to wiretap

transitive verb

: to interpret through wiretapping a wiretapped telephone conversation also : to connect to the telephone line of for the purpose of wiretapping wiretapped her home — compare bug, eavesdrop