listens in (on)

present tense third-person singular of listen in (on)
as in eavesdrops (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 listens in (on)
Verb
  • His administration has yet to submit plans for the ballroom to the National Capital Planning Commission, the agency that approves and monitors construction on federal buildings.
    Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025
  • The current Super Cruise system monitors a driver's attentiveness through the use of sensors and eye-detection cameras.
    Michael Wayland, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The teen, portrayed by actress Drew Barrymore, picks up the phone and hears a deep, ominous voice on the other end.
    Kelli Skye Fadroski, Oc Register, 22 Oct. 2025
  • God hears the cries of the oppressed and calls His church to do the same.
    Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 19 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • And when Clara spies her classmate Miller Adams (Mason Thames) along the roadside, and decides to give him a ride, the film introduces a next-generation complication-that-isn’t-really-one.
    Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 22 Oct. 2025
  • When Leo first spies the orphaned Josie singing on a Boston street corner, he’s struck by her resemblance to the Pendleton family, his father’s former employers and the victims of great tragedy when their baby was kidnapped in 1880.
    EW.com, EW.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Lo overhears a scuffle in the cabin next door and a distinct splash in the freezing ocean waters.
    Courtney Howard, Variety, 9 Oct. 2025
  • But a nurse eventually overhears Archer and Hannah discussing it, and misunderstands the situation.
    Claire Franken, TVLine, 1 Oct. 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.

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Cite this Entry

“Listens in (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/listens%20in%20%28on%29. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.

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