eavesdrop (on)

as in to listen in (on)
to listen to (another in private conversation) a nosy traveler who likes to eavesdrop on his fellow airline passengers

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for eavesdrop (on)
Verb
  • As my generation continues to age, many of our kids will eventually be monitoring us.
    Don Riddell, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2025
  • Algorithmic programs developed to monitor such activity took these moves as signs of further downside risk, further amplifying what already was a dramatic and widespread downturn.
    Sean Stein Smith, Forbes.com, 18 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • As much as the 49ers try to shield themselves from media speculation, Bethune couldn’t help but hear that their defense was in a bad way with Warner gone.
    Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 20 Oct. 2025
  • The universal love is the applause, either heard in person or received from afar, a love reinforced by the sense of an instant, intimate family—a life backstage or in the trailer, far more interesting than the often unhappy family left behind.
    Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Dubai Reuters — An Iranian lower court handed heavy prison sentences to two French citizens charged with spying for France and Israel, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Tuesday, a week after Paris and Tehran indicated progress in talks to release them.
    CNN Money, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
  • The relative then spied a dead dog on an interstate nearby, and assumed the canine was Randy since both dogs had the same shading.
    TJ Macias, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Lo overhears a scuffle in the cabin next door and a distinct splash in the freezing ocean waters.
    Courtney Howard, Variety, 9 Oct. 2025
  • The celebratory July 4 meal would certainly have kept the innkeeper, Daniel Smith, busy replenishing the finest bottles of Madeira from behind the locked bar—perhaps overhearing snippets of chatter among the delegates.
    Victoria Flexner, The Atlantic, 9 Oct. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Eavesdrop (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/eavesdrop%20%28on%29. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!