as in eavesdropping
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Recent Examples of wiretapping
James Lasdun, New Yorker, 26 May 2026
Under the plan, FISA, which allows warrantless wiretapping of noncitizens, would be extended for three years, with new oversight guardrails and penalties for abusing the spy tool.
—Hailey Bullis, The Washington Examiner, 26 Apr. 2026
Michael Gagnon was charged with unlawful wiretapping and violating an abuse prevention order.
—Colleen Cronin, Boston Herald, 14 Apr. 2026
The two men planted themselves at the bedside of the ailing Attorney General John Ashcroft to block Bush administration officials from making an end run to get Ashcroft’s permission to reauthorize a secret no-warrant wiretapping program.
—Eric Tucker, Chicago Tribune, 21 Mar. 2026
In the decades since, multiple presidents have relied on that congressional mandate to justify a grab bag of military counterterrorism activities, including the detention of people who had not been convicted of a crime at Guantanamo Bay and the secret wiretapping of Americans.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 4 Mar. 2026
So prosecutors are being forced to try other methods to establish who fired the gun, including phone tracing, interviews and wiretapping.
—Chas Newkey-Burden, TheWeek, 22 Feb. 2026
Past disputes have included Australian intelligence wiretapping accusations involving Indonesia's former president, the execution of Australian drug smugglers and tensions over people smuggling.
—Niniek Karmini, Arkansas Online, 8 Feb. 2026
The New York Times withheld some details in advance about the US Bay of Pigs invasion, and for months delayed a story on national security administration warrantless wiretapping during the Bush administration after White House officials said the story’s publication would endanger American lives.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 4 Jan. 2026
Noun
Later that year, he was charged with wiretapping, and although authorities did not offer more details, local journalists have reported that the alleged wiretapping was meant to monitor the investigation of his mother.
—James Lasdun, New Yorker, 26 May 2026
Under the plan, FISA, which allows warrantless wiretapping of noncitizens, would be extended for three years, with new oversight guardrails and penalties for abusing the spy tool.
—Hailey Bullis, The Washington Examiner, 26 Apr. 2026
Michael Gagnon was charged with unlawful wiretapping and violating an abuse prevention order.
—Colleen Cronin, Boston Herald, 14 Apr. 2026
The two men planted themselves at the bedside of the ailing Attorney General John Ashcroft to block Bush administration officials from making an end run to get Ashcroft’s permission to reauthorize a secret no-warrant wiretapping program.
—Eric Tucker, Chicago Tribune, 21 Mar. 2026
In the decades since, multiple presidents have relied on that congressional mandate to justify a grab bag of military counterterrorism activities, including the detention of people who had not been convicted of a crime at Guantanamo Bay and the secret wiretapping of Americans.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 4 Mar. 2026
So prosecutors are being forced to try other methods to establish who fired the gun, including phone tracing, interviews and wiretapping.
—Chas Newkey-Burden, TheWeek, 22 Feb. 2026
Past disputes have included Australian intelligence wiretapping accusations involving Indonesia's former president, the execution of Australian drug smugglers and tensions over people smuggling.
—Niniek Karmini, Arkansas Online, 8 Feb. 2026
The New York Times withheld some details in advance about the US Bay of Pigs invasion, and for months delayed a story on national security administration warrantless wiretapping during the Bush administration after White House officials said the story’s publication would endanger American lives.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 4 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wiretapping
Noun
-
The staff of Sermitsiaq had taken to leaving their phones outside editorial meetings, for fear of eavesdropping by the United States.—
Ben Taub,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
-
Greylord was a watershed moment in its use of eavesdropping devices and a mole to obtain evidence instead of relying on wrongdoers to become government informants.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
6 June 2026
Verb
-
But it’s since gone about building a squad capable of qualifying for a World Cup by tapping into the Dutch diaspora and signing up players with Curaçaoan roots.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
14 June 2026
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Morris said that ever since YouTube’s algorithm was tweaked to reward videos incorporating human faces, faceless creators are now mixing in straight-to-camera narration, sometimes tapping gig workers on freelance platforms Fiverr and Upwork to be their David Attenboroughs.—
Andrew Zucker,
HollywoodReporter,
13 June 2026
Noun
-
As drone threats continue to evolve, defense programs such as Land 156 are expected to play a key role in shaping the next generation of battlefield surveillance and force protection technologies.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
18 June 2026
-
She was last seen Thursday night in surveillance footage walking through the Publix parking lot at 100 Old Cherokee Road.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
The necessity of the trip at all is what's been bugging me.—
Will Greenwald,
PC Magazine,
12 June 2026
-
His doctor had been bugging him for years to get a colonoscopy because of his age, but Driggers declined.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
The Romulus family of USVs is designed for a wide range of mission sets, including intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), mine countermeasures, strike operations, and counter-unmanned systems.—
Aditya Jadhav,
Interesting Engineering,
12 June 2026
-
Its unmanned ground vehicles are conducting reconnaissance, evacuations and logistical missions.—
Elizabeth Shackelford,
Chicago Tribune,
12 June 2026
Verb
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But that doesn’t mean the government’s spying powers will disappear.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
12 June 2026
-
Following the House vote, congressional Republicans blamed Democrats for putting a key spying tool in jeopardy, noting the high-level security events happening around the country in the coming weeks such as July 4 celebrations and World Cup matches.—
Lisa Hagen,
Hartford Courant,
12 June 2026
Noun
-
Authorities said the trooper's observations during the stop led to a DUI investigation.—
Brittany Miller,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
-
These sound like honest observations.—
Staff Author,
Parents,
13 June 2026
Verb
-
The law requires government agencies and companies to integrate cattle-tracking, land ownership and deforestation-monitoring systems to identify livestock linked to forest loss and keep them out of their supply chains.—
Steven Grattan,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
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City officials say inspectors are monitoring vendors throughout the sales period and remind residents that violations can carry serious consequences, including fines and/or jail time.—
Kelly Werthmann,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wiretapping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wiretapping. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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