as in listening 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 eavesdropping (on)
Verb
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There is some special vision here worth monitoring.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026 -
The company fears that in an effort to crack down on espionage, the Defense Department might create monitoring capabilities that supersede even the Chinese Communist Party’s, sliding America into an autocratic AI regime.—
Matteo Wong,
The Atlantic,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Kohler and Paris were accused of spying for France and Israel and sentenced to lengthy prison terms in October 2025.—
Joseph Ataman,
CNN Money,
13 Apr. 2026
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John offers to marry Claire to protect her when the British Army wants to arrest her for spying.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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State Department officials speaking at a US Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee hearing on Tuesday defended Washington’s approach as a pragmatic reset from aid-dependent policies.—
Adrian Elimian,
semafor.com,
22 Apr. 2026
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Kash Patel, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), during a House Intelligence Committee hearing on worldwide threats in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, March 19, 2026.—
Dan Mangan,
CNBC,
22 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Eavesdropping (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/eavesdropping%20%28on%29. Accessed 30 Apr. 2026.
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