eavesdrop
verb
eaves·drop
ˈēvz-ˌdräp 
eavesdropped; eavesdropping; eavesdrops
: to listen secretly to what is said in private
eavesdropper
noun
Examples of eavesdrop in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The 7 is the only line on which a Mandarin speaker can almost always eavesdrop on the unself-conscious chatter of strangers for the better part of an hour.
—
Jiayang Fan, The New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2024
But in the post-Snowden world, more and more traffic like that was being encrypted; no longer could the National Security Agency pull data from advertisers by eavesdropping.
—Byron Tau, WIRED, 27 Feb. 2024
The audience is eavesdropping on unvarnished conversations, with the talkers’ masks off, laying out their true feelings and attitudes: hope, worry, confusion, love, hate and bigotry.
—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024
In Episode 3, Larry eavesdrops on a golf lesson intended for Oscar-winning deaf actor Troy Kotsur.
—Boris Kachka, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024
The Enquirer's investigation found one informant claimed to have heard a fellow inmate admit to a murder while eavesdropping on him through air vents at the Justice Center.
—The Enquirer, 21 Mar. 2024
They were coincidentally seated next to one of Sydney’s closest friends—and eventual bridesmaid—who eavesdropped and then gave her stamp of approval.
—Alexandra MacOn, Vogue, 29 Feb. 2024
The tunable replica circuits operate for a realistic but random amount of time, obscuring the real signal from any eavesdropping attackers.
—IEEE Spectrum, 28 Feb. 2024
The cells of your body constantly eavesdrop on your thoughts from the wings of your mind.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 11 Feb. 2024
Jiayang Fan, The New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2024
But in the post-Snowden world, more and more traffic like that was being encrypted; no longer could the National Security Agency pull data from advertisers by eavesdropping.
—Byron Tau, WIRED, 27 Feb. 2024
The audience is eavesdropping on unvarnished conversations, with the talkers’ masks off, laying out their true feelings and attitudes: hope, worry, confusion, love, hate and bigotry.
—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024
In Episode 3, Larry eavesdrops on a golf lesson intended for Oscar-winning deaf actor Troy Kotsur.
—Boris Kachka, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024
The Enquirer's investigation found one informant claimed to have heard a fellow inmate admit to a murder while eavesdropping on him through air vents at the Justice Center.
—The Enquirer, 21 Mar. 2024
They were coincidentally seated next to one of Sydney’s closest friends—and eventual bridesmaid—who eavesdropped and then gave her stamp of approval.
—Alexandra MacOn, Vogue, 29 Feb. 2024
The tunable replica circuits operate for a realistic but random amount of time, obscuring the real signal from any eavesdropping attackers.
—IEEE Spectrum, 28 Feb. 2024
The cells of your body constantly eavesdrop on your thoughts from the wings of your mind.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 11 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'eavesdrop.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Eavesdrop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eavesdrop. Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
eavesdrop
verb
eaves·drop
ˈēvz-ˌdräp
: to listen secretly to private conversation
eavesdropper
noun
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