as in eavesdropping (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 listening in (on)
Verb
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Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said his office was monitoring the deployment of federal officers at O'Hare International.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
24 Mar. 2026 -
In that same survey, Americans said NASA’s top priorities should be monitoring asteroids that could hit Earth and monitoring Earth’s climate system.—
Sarah D. Wire,
USA Today,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Dhawan-Maloney said the judges hearing these cases have a high denial rate.—
Ubah Ali,
CBS News,
18 Mar. 2026
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The story follows a man who takes his sprawling family on a frantic one-day pilgrimage to nine Buddhist temples after hearing a prophecy that his elderly mother may not have long to live.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Mizan also reported that Iran executed a man on charges of spying for Israel's Mossad intelligence agency.—
DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE STAFF FROM WIRE REPORTS,
Arkansas Online,
19 Mar. 2026
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Mizan also reported that Iran executed a man on charges of spying for Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency.—
Jon Gambrell,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Haley began making the octopi after overhearing a nurse saying some would be helpful in the NICU.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Feb. 2026
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The internal monologue is perhaps the more obvious choice for paranoid fiction, but by writing in dialogue, Dorfman puts us in the place of the listener with an ear pressed to a closed door, overhearing the anxious voices.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
5 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Listening in (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/listening%20in%20%28on%29. Accessed 26 Mar. 2026.
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