listen in (on)

as in to eavesdrop (on)
to listen to (another in private conversation) it's not polite to listen in on other people's private conversations

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for listen in (on)
Verb
  • If the sky becomes threatening and thunder can be heard, find a safe place to shelter.
    CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 1 July 2025
  • The judge can be heard flipping through pages over the microphone.
    Lauryn Overhultz , Tracy Wright , Maria Paronich , Brendan McDonald, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2025
Verb
  • The Bureau of Labor Statistics gathers this information through a quarterly survey that monitors price shifts across about 80,000 goods and services.
    Aliss Higham, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025
  • The landscape of how these agreements are formed has also evolved: To monitor those deals, the College Sports Commission, established as part of the House settlement, will serve as a clearinghouse.
    Matt Murschel, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 June 2025
Verb
  • Over the fence, folks can spy the cavernous stage and the scaffolding above for the technical crew still in place, and that sparks memories.
    Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 June 2025
  • Some two weeks after Resilience's hard landing, NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spied the lander's gravesite from its perch in orbit around the moon.
    Brett Tingley, Space.com, 24 June 2025
Verb
  • Not everyone is comfortable complaining about work, especially at work– give your coworkers a safe place to talk, maybe on Zoom or some bar where their complaints won’t be overheard by the wrong people at the wrong time.
    James Folta, Literary Hub, 24 June 2025
  • Early on, Lucy is speaking with several other female wedding guests about matchmaking and about the big subject that underlies it—love—while Harry is standing alone, close enough to overhear but far enough to be discreet.
    Richard Brody, New Yorker, 13 June 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

“Listen in (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/listen%20in%20%28on%29. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.

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