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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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,
5 Nov. 2025 -
France’s national anti-terror prosecutor’s office is also monitoring the case, BFMTV said.—
Sana Noor Haq,
CNN Money,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Long before making music of his own, Harper spent time consuming the works of his famous relatives and hearing about their times in the studio and on the road.—
Jack Irvin,
PEOPLE,
6 Nov. 2025
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But after hearing her story, an NPR listener reached out and paid her overdue balance.—
NPR,
NPR,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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They were linked in a secret video shown to Party members to a Cuban businessman accused of spying for Spain, though they were never charged.—
Nora Gámez Torres,
Miami Herald,
3 Nov. 2025
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In 2024, 64 people in Taiwan were prosecuted for spying for China—more than the previous two years combined—with principal targets being current or former military personnel.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
23 Oct. 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 8 Nov. 2025.
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