as in eavesdropped (on)
to listen to (another in private conversation)
it's not polite to listen in on other people's private conversations
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for listened in (on)
Verb
-
Thousands of people have peacefully made their voices heard.—
Emily Shapiro,
ABC News,
9 Jan. 2026 -
The Senate Education heard testimony on the bill, indicating lawmakers are serious about the proposal, but the committee has not yet taken a vote.—
Marissa Meador,
IndyStar,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
On June 20, 1940, someone told the night policeman, Tip Hunter, that Elbert Williams, a relative of Elisha Davis, had been overheard proposing a meeting between the Brownsville and Jackson NAACP branches.—
Equal Justice Initiative,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Jim MacDonald, a commercial fisherman, had overheard radio transmissions between the Fitzgerald and the Anderson the night of the disaster.—
Caitlin Looby,
jsonline.com,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Additionally, the police source said Nick must be escorted by a sergeant at all times and is monitored with a video camera that is attached to his escorting officer.—
Danielle Bacher,
PEOPLE,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Researchers monitored more than 2,000 people for an average of 12 days to track their rest and rhythm activities.—
Khloe Quill,
FOXNews.com,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Upon arriving at the James Madison University campus in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains in 1999, Jeff Bourne spied a 12,500-seat football stadium on a campus that only started playing the sport a little more than 25 years earlier.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
19 Dec. 2025
-
Where skeptics spied a bubble, the revolution’s leaders saw the dawn of a new era of abundance.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
11 Dec. 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.
Cite this Entry
“Listened in (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/listened%20in%20%28on%29. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share