wiretap

verb

Definition of wiretapnext
as in to tap

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of wiretap That’s why law enforcement can’t just wiretap us all at will. — The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 10 Oct. 2025 As attorney general, Robert Kennedy approved Hoover's request in 1963 to wiretap King amid concerns that King was associating with communists. — Marc Caputo, Axios, 15 Feb. 2025 Bitdefender also manages programs that wiretap you through the microphone. — PCMAG, 13 Jan. 2025 The courts ultimately denied the order, but only because enabling the FBI to wiretap the car in that case would have meant turning off other safety features. — Margo Anderson, IEEE Spectrum, 8 Feb. 2016 See All Example Sentences for wiretap
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wiretap
  1. tap
  2. bug
  3. spy
  4. overhear
Verb
  • Before their conversation can go any further, Morgan scares himself by remembering that tabloids used to tap celebrities’ phones to get gossip fodder, and hangs up on her.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2026
  • InStyle tapped four hairstylists to round up the 10 best blunt hairstyles for thin hair, from cowgirl bobs to straight-across bangs.
    — Amanda Le, InStyle, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of tap
Verb
  • The Department of Justice’s prosecution of a Saudi national for allegedly bugging an OpenAI conference room is causing anxiety among OpenAI employees, many of whom are foreign nationals.
    — Benjamin Guggenheim, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
  • On Monday, a court granted the US government’s request to deny release of a former OpenAI engineer accused of bugging a top-secret conference room to steal the frontier lab’s secrets.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of bug
Verb
  • Back in virtual Brooklyn, Friday sneaks into Jocasta’s loft to spy as Jocasta works through a heaping helping of foreshadowing about her phantom partner on the Nest nanobots.
    — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2026
  • But in other races in Ohio, Democrats spy a clear opportunity.
    — Naomi Nix, Time, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of spy
Verb
  • The server overheard some of their conversation and told them Southern Belle’s was for sale.
    — Mike Danahey, Chicago Tribune, 2 Nov. 2026
  • One of the most powerful conceits in the book occurs when the two leave an airport venue and readers get the perspective of a person who served or overheard them.
    — Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of overhear

Browse Nearby Words

wires
wiretap
wiretapped
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Cite this Entry

“Wiretap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wiretap. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.

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