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
-
This old bloke from the Tanami remembered the gold rush days, and probably heard stories about eating Chinamen.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Oct. 2025 -
If the sky turns ominous and thunder can be heard, find a secure place for shelter.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The plenum will be closely monitored by outsiders for clues about the inner workings of China’s opaque ruling Communist Party.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
20 Oct. 2025
-
The trials were conducted by BAE Systems and the ship’s staff, and activity was monitored by SDA and Ministry of Defence naval architects and overseers.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
20 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
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
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 26 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share