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
  • That will help, but Howe monitors driver fuel intake as closely as the team's technical staff monitor vehicle fuel intake.
    Eileen Falkenberg-Hull, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
  • But the community is feeling increasingly targeted, with the number of antisemitic incidents rising over the past decade and reaching new record levels last year, according to Community Security Trust, a charity that monitors incidents and protects British Jews from terrorism and antisemitism.
    Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Lazar currently holds one of four seats on the District II panel, which hears appeals from 12 counties in southeastern Wisconsin, excluding Milwaukee County, which is its own district.
    Mary Spicuzza, jsonline.com, 1 Oct. 2025
  • At one point during Knox’s meeting with Mignini, Knox’s mother hears sirens from far away and begins to panic — thinking police are on their way to arrest Knox again.
    CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 1 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • 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
  • But a nurse eventually overhears Archer and Hannah discussing it, and misunderstands the situation.
    Claire Franken, TVLine, 1 Oct. 2025
  • Of course, in dramatic fashion, Emily overhears this discussion but hides instead of calling him out.
    Grace Byron, Vulture, 22 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.

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“Listens in (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/listens%20in%20%28on%29. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.

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