listening in (on)

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)
Verb
  • Other members of the crew sat beside and behind him, monitoring scripts and schedules on screens of their own.
    — Matt Alt, New Yorker, 8 Nov. 2026
  • Nearly three decades later, Leach is now the CEO of Dexcom, a roughly $30 billion company that develops non-invasive glucose-monitoring systems.
    — Preston Fore, Fortune, 7 Nov. 2026
Verb
  • Residents on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz reported hearing several explosions late on Sunday evening, Iranian state media reported.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 9 Nov. 2026
  • That delay might be explained, as Skepta has suggested in interviews, by the pursuit of perfection—or the weight of having to say something worth hearing.
    — Will Pritchard, Pitchfork, 9 Nov. 2026
Verb
  • The actress provided the voice of a technologically advanced, data-spying smart refrigerator.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • To support their request to detain Alfozan, the government pointed to a case where former Twitter employees were charged with spying for the Saudi government.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 19 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The investigation began after an anonymous tipster reported overhearing Unglesbee in a restaurant talking about mailing a suspicious substance to members of Congress.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
  • After weeks of overhearing the outbursts, O'Connor and his wife compiled their own top 10 list of Torn's most memorable lines.
    — Stephanie Giang-Paunon, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
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

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

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