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
Relevance
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for listening in (on)
Verb
-
His suggestion comes on the heels of a report from longtime NFL insider Ian Rapoport, who reported that teams around the NFL are monitoring Woolen as a potential trade candidate this year.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025 -
These services do all the work for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your personal information from hundreds of websites.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
One student whose desk is near the wall, asked to be moved after hearing about Sanford's pickup truck crashing into the church itself.—
John Wisely,
Freep.com,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Staff also report hearing phantom singing in the visitors' area and a mysterious spirit rearranging the coins in the gift shop register.—
Paige Moore,
AZCentral.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
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
-
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
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
“Listening in (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/listening%20in%20%28on%29. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share