as in eavesdropping
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Recent Examples of wiretapping
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
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
-
Greylord was a watershed 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,
4 May 2026
-
Canvasser was arrested Wednesday and charged with unlawful eavesdropping or surveillance, according to police records.—
Sasha Pezenik,
ABC News,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Woodpeckers are well-known for their ability to locate insects concealed within wood by tapping and listening for changes in resonance.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2026
-
His only memories as a child are of me tapping away at a keyboard in the basement, creating Ask the Builder columns and website pages.—
Tim Carter,
Hartford Courant,
9 May 2026
Noun
-
Greg Thomas, chief executive of ChainSentry, a firm that conducts gray-market surveillance of semiconductor supply chains, said export controls have created an artificial scarcity that has made advanced chips almost irresistible to smugglers.—
Amanda Gerut,
Fortune,
13 May 2026
-
The detonation of a nuclear weapon in low-Earth orbit would likely destroy or incapacitate thousands of satellites, disabling critical military and civilian networks providing surveillance and communication services.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
13 May 2026
Verb
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Although pest control companies offer lethal solutions such as carpenter bee traps or chemical treatments, the best way to keep carpenter bees from bugging you is using stained, sealed, varnished or treated wood in building projects.—
Sarah Linn
April 24,
Sacbee.com,
24 Apr. 2026
-
So, all the things people were yelling about with Southwest weren’t bugging me.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Most of the flights were by P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, which are designed for surveillance and reconnaissance, while some were by an RC-135V Rivet Joint, which specializes in signals intelligence gathering.—
Avery Schmitz,
CNN Money,
10 May 2026
-
Chinese developers said the vehicles are intended for high-precision oceanographic surveys, seabed mapping and underwater reconnaissance.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
Republican infighting was on full display as Johnson struggled to cobble together the votes needed to advance a farm bill, extend a critical government spying program, and end the record-long Department of Homeland Security shutdown.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
9 May 2026
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Twenty-five Israelis and foreign residents in Israel were indicted on charges of spying for Iran in 2025, according to Shin Bet's annual report, published in February.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
Despite these observations, Walter was not seen by a doctor until two days after his injuries occurred.—
Ava Kofman,
New Yorker,
11 May 2026
-
The comparison to woodpeckers emerged naturally from these observations.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
The typical lifespan of a tire pressure monitoring sensor (TPMS) battery is about 7–10 years.—
Hartford Courant,
Hartford Courant,
12 May 2026
-
Carr also said the smart pass program offers other uses, such as monitoring afterschool activities and student identification cards, but the district does not yet to use those features.—
Addison Wright,
Chicago Tribune,
11 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wiretapping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wiretapping. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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