listening in (on)

verb

present participle of listen in (on)
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)
  1. monitoring
  2. hearing
  3. spying
  4. overhearing
Verb
  • While the likes of Ossola wait patiently for their cases to be resolved, others are carefully monitoring the situation.
    — Julia Buckley, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
  • With the rise of wearable technology (and a growing obsession with tracking our health), VO2 is now something many of us are monitoring.
    — Hannah Coates, Vogue, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of monitoring
Verb
  • Meghan personally called animal rights attorney Shannon Keith, who runs the Beagle Freedom Project, after hearing about 4,000 beagles being rescued from overcrowded and unsanitary conditions at the Envigo breeding and research plant in Virginia.
    — Audrey Schmidt, PEOPLE, 9 Aug. 2026
  • The most rewarding thing about this has been hearing audiences laugh together, and maybe cry.
    — Marta Balaga, Variety, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of hearing
Verb
  • Just across the sea lie North Korea, China and Russia, which all have powerful spying capacities that Japan isn’t fully equipped to fend off.
    — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 31 July 2026
  • Turkish, Asian and Chinese brands flooded in at first, spying a once-in-a-generation opportunity to hoover up prime real estate.
    — Mark Faithfull, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
Definition of spying
Verb
  • The last season ended with Alex overhearing Cole’s dramatic love confession to Jackie and a cliffhanger about patriarch George’s health.
    — Madeleine Janz, PEOPLE, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Muraki admitted overhearing her comments about the home but denied handing a note during their first meeting.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 7 July 2026
Definition of overhearing
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.

Browse Nearby Words

listening
listening in (on)
listening (to)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Listening in (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/listening%20in%20%28on%29. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

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