wiretap

play

verb wire·tap \ˈwī(-ə)r-ˌtap\

Definition of wiretap

intransitive verb
: to tap a telephone or telegraph wire or cellular signal in order to get information
transitive verb
: to tap the telephone of

See wiretap defined for English-language learners

See wiretap defined for kids

Examples of wiretap in a Sentence

The FBI wiretapped his phone.

Recent Examples of wiretap from the Web

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
Three and half months after agents began listening in on Dougherty’s cell phone, the FBI obtained court approval to wiretap the city councilman and Crawford.

— chris brennan, Philly.com, "For more than a year, FBI wiretapped labor leader John Dougherty, councilman Bobby Henon", 26 June 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
The F.B.I. director is also expected to comment on the president’s baseless claim that President Barack Obama colluded with the British government to illegally wiretap Trump Tower after the election—

— vanityfair.com, "Donald Trump Is Running Out of Political Capital at the Worst Possible Time", 20 Mar. 2017
The F.B.I. director is also expected to comment on the president’s baseless claim that President Barack Obama colluded with the British government to illegally wiretap Trump Tower after the election—

— tina nguyen, The Hive, "The president’s popularity just hit a new low.", 20 Mar. 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

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.

First Known Use of wiretap

1918

wiretap

noun wire·tap

Definition of wiretap

1 : the act or an instance of wiretapping
2 : an electrical connection for wiretapping

See wiretap defined for English-language learners

Examples of wiretap in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of wiretap from the Web

Two Kansas City-area attorneys, Adam Crane and David Johnson, have sued CoreCivic and the prison’s telephone provider, Securus Technologies, accusing the firms of violating state wiretap laws by recording their conversations with clients.

— ian cummings and tony rizzo, kansascity, "Federal prosecutor leaves after revealing she listened to Leavenworth prison phone calls", 27 June 2017
At least a half-dozen agents were involved in the case, which used stakeouts, confidential informants, search warrants and wiretaps to gather evidence against these desperados.

— joseph gerth, The Courier-Journal, "An old lady, a conspiracy and the FBI | Joseph Gerth", 23 June 2017
In 1968, Congress passed the Wiretap Act, which had at its core a simple idea: Wiretaps should be used to catch serious criminals, not petty offenders.

— alvaro m. bedoya, The Atlantic, "Deportation Is Going High-Tech Under Trump", 21 June 2017
Walters argued the leaks were designed to prod targets to incriminate themselves after a wiretap on Walters’s phone failed to turn up evidence.

— bob van voris, Bloomberg.com, "FBI Leak Judge Demands Progress Update on U.S. Probe of Agent", 20 June 2017
Neither has made any real attempt to reconcile after Trump accused Obama of ordering wiretaps at his skyscraper in New York.

— kevin liptak, CNN, "Trump's strain with Obama marks departure from presidential fraternity", 10 June 2017
The next day was his fateful tweet about President Barack Obama conducting a wiretap of Trump Tower during the campaign, an allegation that was widely debunked.

— peter baker and maggie haberman, New York Times, "Trump Grows Discontented With Attorney General Jeff Sessions", 5 June 2017
The spot also comes amid a Chicago Tribune story published Wednesday that Pritzker and Blagojevich were captured on a wiretap in 2008 discussing potential political appointments as the FBI investigated Blagojevich for corruption.

— rick pearson, chicagotribune.com, "Facing questions about Blagojevich wiretaps, Pritzker airs ad attacking Rauner", 1 June 2017
Court records outline an investigation that involved several FBI wiretaps and a series of undercover heroin purchases by FBI sources during 2014.

— laura mcknight, NOLA.com, "7th Ward heroin-ring leader, key players sentenced in federal court", 25 May 2017

First Known Use of wiretap

1907

WIRETAP Defined for English Language Learners

wiretap

play

verb

Definition of wiretap for English Language Learners

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

wiretap

noun

Definition of wiretap for English Language Learners

: a device that allows someone to secretly listen to phone conversations
: a conversation that has been recorded using a wiretap

Law Dictionary

wiretap

play

verb wire·tap \ˈwīr-ˌtap\

Legal Definition of wiretap

wiretapped

wiretapping

intransitive verb

had probable cause to wiretap

transitive verb

a wiretapped telephone conversation

also

wiretapped her home

bug

eavesdrop

wiretap

noun wire·tap

Legal Definition of wiretap

1 : an act or instance of wiretapping we have held previously that wiretaps are a form of a search — Whack v. State, 615 A.2d 1226 (1992)
2 : an electrical connection for wiretapping — compare pen register