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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The center had dozens of monitoring cameras, and Lowe’s brought in thermal drones to survey the area.—
John Raby,
Fortune,
8 Oct. 2025 -
The Orleans Justice Center is operating at only 60% staffing, and at the time of the escape, four supervisors and 36 staff members were monitoring 1,400 inmates, authorities said.—
Louis Casiano,
FOXNews.com,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Brad Pitt is a klutzy errand boy for the mob sent to Mexico to retrieve a priceless pistol with a magical backstory; Julia Roberts is his long-suffering girlfriend who angrily dumps him upon hearing the news.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
10 Oct. 2025
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After hearing the guilty verdict, the judge immediately sentenced Shaw to life without parole.—
Johnny Dodd,
PEOPLE,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Depending on your age and foreign language ability, fulfilling your James Bond spy fantasies may not be very realistic—but spying for the British government just got more accessible.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
21 Sep. 2025
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Iran has executed a man accused of spying for Israel, Iranian state media reported, after the rights group Amnesty International said the man, Babak Shahbazi, had been sentenced to death in an unfair trial marred by allegations of torture.—
Robert Birsel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The celebratory July 4 meal would certainly have kept the innkeeper, Daniel Smith, busy replenishing the finest bottles of Madeira from behind the locked bar—perhaps overhearing snippets of chatter among the delegates.—
Victoria Flexner,
The Atlantic,
9 Oct. 2025
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In a conversation with Entertainment Weekly about reuniting with Home Improvement costar Tim Allen, 72, on Shifting Gears, Dunning recalled overhearing Allen entertaining the idea of bringing Pamela Anderson back to the series in some capacity.—
Angela Andaloro,
PEOPLE,
29 Sep. 2025
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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 13 Oct. 2025.
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