listens in (on)

verb

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)
  1. monitors
  2. hears
  3. spies
  4. overhears
Verb
  • The probe monitors the device’s instruction set for unauthorized modifications.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 12 Aug. 2026
  • An incident involving a container ship and military forces in the Gulf of Oman has been reported by the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) center, which monitors maritime security in that region.
    — Kevin Liptak, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of monitors
Verb
  • The Board of Tax Appeals, which was established in 1969, hears hundreds of appeals each year.
    — Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 11 Aug. 2026
  • One hears the in-depth individual cases of immigrants who are pursuing their claim of asylum.
    — Rebecca Santana, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of hears
Verb
  • Late one night, Clark spies what appears to be a sliver of light coming through a crack in the wall of the store’s basement.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 14 June 2026
  • In Giovanni Battista Tiepolo’s The Finding of Moses, a dog spies a young girl whose presence unlocks the painting’s meaning.
    — Boris Kachka, The Atlantic, 5 June 2026
Definition of spies
Verb
  • At one point, Piker overhears his brother telling me about his old job as an aerospace engineer at Boeing.
    — Josh Eells, Rolling Stone, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Season 3 picks up after her boyfriend Alex Walter (Ashby Gentry) overhears Jackie and his brother Cole Walter (Noah LaLonde) confess their feelings for each other.
    — Kelly Allen, PEOPLE, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of overhears
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

listens
listens in (on)
listens (to)
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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 20 Aug. 2026.

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