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
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
  1. eavesdropping
  2. tapping
  3. surveillance
  4. bugging
  5. reconnaissance
  6. spying
  7. observation
  8. monitoring
Noun
  • Pearsall, a 59-year-old Long Beach resident, is also facing a criminal case with five felony counts of eavesdropping and more than two dozen misdemeanor counts of secretly filming or unlawful dissemination of private recordings.
    — Sean Emery, Oc Register, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Kevin Pearsall, 59, of Long Beach, faces five felony counts of eavesdropping, 23 misdemeanor counts of secretly filming another and three misdemeanor counts of unlawful dissemination of private recordings.
    — Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of eavesdropping
Verb
  • In addition to a strong cast, Prince-Bythewood had an incredibly talented production team to help bring the film to life, tapping Academy Award-winning production designer Hannah Beachler for Black Panther.
    — Dominique Fluker, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Yes, the bond market is tapping the brakes that Warsh seems reluctant to talk about touching.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of tapping
Noun
  • The Triton is a high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aircraft built to provide persistent maritime intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 10 Aug. 2026
  • And since Jace’s death, she’s treated Baela as nothing more than a defective surveillance drone — a worthless piece of tech that never spots Vhagar.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of surveillance
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
Definition of bugging
Noun
  • The researchers pointed to the alliance’s May agreement to develop UUVs for protecting underwater infrastructure while supporting surveillance, reconnaissance, and anti-submarine missions.
    — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 6 Aug. 2026
  • But as disasters become more frequent and more complex, today’s generation of search, rescue, surveillance, and reconnaissance technology may not provide the endurance and technological capabilities required for some emergency-response applications.
    — Nia Bowers, USA Today, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of reconnaissance
Verb
  • Just across the sea lie North Korea, China and Russia, which all have powerful spying capacities that Japan isn’t fully equipped to fend off.
    — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 31 July 2026
  • Turkish, Asian and Chinese brands flooded in at first, spying a once-in-a-generation opportunity to hoover up prime real estate.
    — Mark Faithfull, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
Definition of spying
Noun
  • Conti recommends setting up a simple observation board made from cardboard and covering it with a white sheet.
    — Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026
  • The process of filming and editing became one of observation, contemplation and confrontation.
    — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of observation
Verb
  • While the likes of Ossola wait patiently for their cases to be resolved, others are carefully monitoring the situation.
    — Julia Buckley, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
  • With the rise of wearable technology (and a growing obsession with tracking our health), VO2 is now something many of us are monitoring.
    — Hannah Coates, Vogue, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of monitoring

Browse Nearby Words

wiretapped
wiretapping
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Cite this Entry

“Wiretapping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wiretapping. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.

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