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
  • Mohammad Farooq Azam from the environmental advocacy group International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), which monitors Asia's high mountains, told NPR the Himalaya region is warming faster than the global average.
    — Diaa Hadid, NPR, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Florida already collects substantial IDEA data, monitors districts and publishes dispute-resolution resources.
    — Deborah Esther Brooks, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of monitors
Verb
  • Deadline hears that organizers originally wanted CEO Neal Mohan, which would have been an exceptional booking.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Kumi hears the downstream version of that in her applications.
    — Jasmine Browley, Forbes.com, 28 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 1 Sep. 2026.

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