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
  • When Springer got hurt, there was some cheering heard by the Dodger fans in the crowd, who booed him loudly at the start of every at-bat.
    Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Oct. 2025
  • Aside from buying beans, my go-to is a cortado with almond milk and — hear me out — quarter-sweet simple syrup.
    Tamia Boyd, Charlotte Observer, 27 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Then there's carefully monitoring multiple loads to make sure every item is washed and dried at the correct temperature.
    Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Controls, for example, need to be continuously monitored so that audit readiness becomes more a state of being, and not a last minute sprint.
    Dave Smith, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • In 2024, 64 people in Taiwan were prosecuted for spying for China—more than the previous two years combined—with principal targets being current or former military personnel.
    Charlie Campbell, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
  • And when Clara spies her classmate Miller Adams (Mason Thames) along the roadside, and decides to give him a ride, the film introduces a next-generation complication-that-isn’t-really-one.
    Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 22 Oct. 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

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

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