wiretapping 1 of 2

noun

as in eavesdropping

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wiretapping

2 of 2

verb

present participle of wiretap
as in tapping

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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 wiretapping
Noun
At the state level, he is accused of wiretapping and witness intimidation. — Aaron Parseghian, CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wiretapping
  1. eavesdropping
  2. tapping
  3. surveillance
  4. bugging
  5. reconnaissance
  6. spying
  7. observation
  8. monitoring
Noun
  • OpenAI’s forthcoming device, rumored to be a portable smart speaker, could encounter similar eavesdropping concerns.
    — Sebastian Herrera, Fortune, 24 Sep. 2026
  • It was mostly shot at night on rooftops in Tel Aviv to avoid Israeli eavesdropping and protect its subjects.
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of eavesdropping
Verb
  • De La Faverie brought in a new team under the creative direction of Nicola Formichetti and the brand has quickly moved to reestablish relevance, tapping everyone from Chappell Roan to Kris Jenner as spokespeople.
    — Jenny B. Fine, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Kapoor will lead the creative direction, with Balaji retaining the underlying IP while tapping YouTube’s global distribution and advertising business — a savvy expansion that doesn’t involve surrendering ownership of her stories.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of tapping
Noun
  • Its adaptable architecture supports missions including tactical logistics, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, casualty evacuation, communications support and other mission-critical applications.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2026
  • El Sayed argued that the technology needed federal oversight, while Rogers advocated local oversight but defended the use of some surveillance processes in identifying people suspected of terrorism.
    — Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of surveillance
Verb
  • However, in-flight cabin etiquette is only one part of what’s bugging travelers this summer.
    — Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The necessity of the trip at all is what's been bugging me.
    — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 12 June 2026
Definition of bugging
Noun
  • Chinese troops conducted reconnaissance and targeting exercises, obstacle breaching, coordinated attacks and battlefield medical drills before the exercise moved into its main operational phase, the South China Morning Post reported.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Lateral movement can produce indicators such as unusual account access, authentication activity, privilege escalation attempts or network reconnaissance.
    — Ascend Agency, New York Daily News, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of reconnaissance
Verb
  • It is understood Kering plans to build on the foundation left by Vaccarello, also spying additional opportunities in jewelry.
    — Miles Socha, Footwear News, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Invariably, the goal of this kind of espionage is to help key sectors in the spying country rapidly replicate or surpass American advances.
    — DAVID S. COHEN, Foreign Affairs, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of spying
Noun
  • However, with these new observations from JWST, scientists have unprecedented detailed views of the stars and protostars still forming amidst the gas and dust.
    — Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Police said the test provided additional evidence consistent with their observations.
    — Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of observation
Verb
  • September was the first month that Iran loaded no crude onto tankers since maritime data tracking service Kpler began monitoring Iranian exports in 2013.
    — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2026
  • According to Iran Human Rights Monitor, the force has evolved into a powerful internal security institution involved in suppressing anti-government demonstrations, monitoring political activity and enforcing the regime's ideological restrictions.
    — Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of monitoring

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Cite this Entry

“Wiretapping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wiretapping. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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