LISTENING IN (ON) Synonyms: 15 Similar Words

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)

Verb

Crytica Security wants to change that by monitoring what happens inside the device itself.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 12 Aug. 2026
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has been notified of the recent sightings and has been monitoring bear activity in the region.

— Richard Ramos, CBS News, 12 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

But despite getting back together in season two, the finale ended on a cliffhanger of Alex overhearing Jackie confess her love to his brother Cole.

— Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 8 Aug. 2026
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

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)

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“Listening in (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/listening%20in%20%28on%29. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of listening in (on)

verb

Example Sentences

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