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

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 Investigators from a Drug Enforcement Task Force began their probe of the organization using buys and wiretaps stemming back to October 2016, a criminal complaint filed by a DEA task force member read. — Nicholas Rondinone, courant.com, "Months-Long Drug Operation Nets 20 Kilos Heroin, Fentanyl Largely Packaged For Streets," 30 June 2017

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The president also ordered that more than 20 pages of a federal warrant used to obtain a secret wiretap on one of his former advisers, Carter Page, be declassified, as well as all FBI interviews that went into obtaining the warrant. — Sadie Gurman, WSJ, "Trump Backs Off Public Release of Documents in Russia Probe," 21 Sep. 2018 Prosecutors cannot ask Courts to bypass these CALEA restrictions in the guise of a wiretap assistance order. — Greg Nojeim, Eric Wenger, Ars Technica, "FBI vs. Facebook Messenger: What’s at stake?," 2 Oct. 2018 The yearslong probe involved wiretaps of multiple phones, recorded meetings in Las Vegas hotel rooms and a cooperating witness who worked for months alongside undercover agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, court filings show. — Rebecca Davis O’brien, WSJ, "Criminal Trial to Cap Off Tumultuous Year in NCAA Basketball," 27 Sep. 2018 More: More defendants ask judge to drop wiretaps, phone evidence in FBI college basketball case Louisville and Mississippi weren't as fortunate. — Jeff Greer, The Courier-Journal, "Costs are high - and rising - in Louisville's basketball scandal cleanup," 7 May 2018 Reacting to initial reports of a wiretap, former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, a member of Trump’s newly reconstituted legal team, called on Atty. — Jon Healey, latimes.com, "Stormy Daniels appears to be the gift that keeps on giving to Trump foes," 3 May 2018 Fuchs also, at times, displayed evidence that contradicted Pike’s testimony — such as Portillo’s own words — recorded either through wiretaps, or by ex-Bandidos now cooperating with the government. — Guillermo Contreras, San Antonio Express-News, "Feds challenge ex-leader’s claim that Bandidos is a “mom and pop” club," 1 May 2018 The memo also asserts that in applications to renew the wiretap, the F.B.I. provided the court with information from independent sources corroborating Mr. Steele’s findings. — Nicholas Fandos, New York Times, "2 Weeks After Trump Blocked It, Democrats’ Rebuttal of G.O.P. Memo Is Released," 24 Feb. 2018 The prosecution also presented some of Washington comments to Fiore that were caught on a wiretap, in which she is heard discussing a towing deal that didn't go Fiore's way. — Tresa Baldas, Detroit Free Press, "Ex-Detroit police official pleads guilty to bribery: 'I should have known better'," 2 Jan. 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