eavesdropped (on)

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for eavesdropped (on)
Verb
  • Even water usage is monitored through precision irrigation systems that maximize efficiency while protecting regional ecosystems.
    William Jones, Freep.com, 27 Oct. 2025
  • Prince of Whales emphasized that the encounter came as a surprise, since the whale was not being actively monitored at the time.
    Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 27 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Before his sentencing, his attorneys filed a motion seeking a new trial, saying that evidence the jury heard does not prove his guilt, KCRG reports.
    KC Baker, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
  • In June 2024, a UK High Court judge determined that actor Lee Ingleby’s depiction was defamatory in a preliminary judgment, meaning the claim could be heard as a full trial.
    Jake Kanter, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • 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
  • Astronomers spied the bare black hole using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) — a mega-instrument built by NASA and its partners in part to reveal how galaxies formed during the universe’s first billion years.
    Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 12 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The children overheard them having an argument inside of the room.
    Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025
  • The narrator and her friend seem slightly embarrassed at the possibility of being overheard—seeing the couple perhaps reminds them that Americans are not simply an idea on a page or in a newspaper headline, but actual people.
    Rhian Sasseen, The Atlantic, 22 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.

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Cite this Entry

“Eavesdropped (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/eavesdropped%20%28on%29. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.

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