eavesdrop
verb
eaves·drop
ˈēvz-ˌdräp 
eavesdropped; eavesdropping; eavesdrops
: to listen secretly to what is said in private
eavesdropper
noun
Examples of eavesdrop in a Sentence
a nosy traveler who likes to eavesdrop on his fellow airline passengers
Recent Examples on the Web
Authorized under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), the 702 program permits the government to enlist American companies to eavesdrop on a variety of communications—calls, texts, emails, and possibly other forms of messaging—all without the need for a search warrant.
—
Dell Cameron and William Turton, WIRED, 8 May 2024
Attack boats like the Hampton might collect intelligence on enemy warships or eavesdrop on unfriendly governments, while much larger ballistic missile submarines stay submerged for 90 days at a time, carrying enough nuclear warheads to destroy entire countries.
—Kenny Holston, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2024
The 7 is the only line on which a Mandarin speaker can almost always eavesdrop on the unself-conscious chatter of strangers for the better part of an hour.
—Jiayang Fan, The New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2024
But in the post-Snowden world, more and more traffic like that was being encrypted; no longer could the National Security Agency pull data from advertisers by eavesdropping.
—Byron Tau, WIRED, 27 Feb. 2024
The audience is eavesdropping on unvarnished conversations, with the talkers’ masks off, laying out their true feelings and attitudes: hope, worry, confusion, love, hate and bigotry.
—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024
In Episode 3, Larry eavesdrops on a golf lesson intended for Oscar-winning deaf actor Troy Kotsur.
—Boris Kachka, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024
The Enquirer's investigation found one informant claimed to have heard a fellow inmate admit to a murder while eavesdropping on him through air vents at the Justice Center.
—The Enquirer, 21 Mar. 2024
They were coincidentally seated next to one of Sydney’s closest friends—and eventual bridesmaid—who eavesdropped and then gave her stamp of approval.
—Alexandra MacOn, Vogue, 29 Feb. 2024
Dell Cameron and William Turton, WIRED, 8 May 2024
Attack boats like the Hampton might collect intelligence on enemy warships or eavesdrop on unfriendly governments, while much larger ballistic missile submarines stay submerged for 90 days at a time, carrying enough nuclear warheads to destroy entire countries.
—Kenny Holston, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2024
The 7 is the only line on which a Mandarin speaker can almost always eavesdrop on the unself-conscious chatter of strangers for the better part of an hour.
—Jiayang Fan, The New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2024
But in the post-Snowden world, more and more traffic like that was being encrypted; no longer could the National Security Agency pull data from advertisers by eavesdropping.
—Byron Tau, WIRED, 27 Feb. 2024
The audience is eavesdropping on unvarnished conversations, with the talkers’ masks off, laying out their true feelings and attitudes: hope, worry, confusion, love, hate and bigotry.
—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024
In Episode 3, Larry eavesdrops on a golf lesson intended for Oscar-winning deaf actor Troy Kotsur.
—Boris Kachka, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024
The Enquirer's investigation found one informant claimed to have heard a fellow inmate admit to a murder while eavesdropping on him through air vents at the Justice Center.
—The Enquirer, 21 Mar. 2024
They were coincidentally seated next to one of Sydney’s closest friends—and eventual bridesmaid—who eavesdropped and then gave her stamp of approval.
—Alexandra MacOn, Vogue, 29 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'eavesdrop.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Eavesdrop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eavesdrop. Accessed 15 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
eavesdrop
verb
eaves·drop
ˈēvz-ˌdräp
: to listen secretly to private conversation
eavesdropper
noun
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