eavesdropping
noun
eaves·drop·ping
ˈēvz-ˌdrä-piŋ 
: the act of secretly listening to something private
Highly sophisticated means of electronic eavesdropping were developed and put into use, largely uncontrolled by the law.—
Wayne R. LaFave & Jerold H. Israel
Wayne R. LaFave & Jerold H. IsraelFor a moment, I was worried he'd found out about my eavesdropping the night before, but that didn't seem to be the problem.—Rick Riordan
Rick RiordanExamples of eavesdropping in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Aside from some intense eavesdropping, the system can also cut the connection between the drone and its controller.
—New Atlas, 13 Dec. 2024
Yet from the first moment on the day of the breakup, Ben and Claire encounter a series of problems, everything from a bus ride with an obnoxious eavesdropping passenger (Stavros Halkias) to reuniting with an overzealous crush (Kate Pittard).
—Courtney Howard, Variety, 6 Dec. 2024
Analysts estimate quantitative indicators of military strength using a sprawling infrastructure of satellites, open-source data collection, spies, and electronic eavesdropping.
—Jason Lyall, Foreign Affairs, 22 July 2022
Ratings on this measure are down significantly in the Trump era, although in many cases the slide began during the Obama presidency, coinciding with revelations about NSA eavesdropping and other similar stories.
—Richard Wike, Foreign Affairs, 8 Jan. 2020
See all Example Sentences for eavesdropping 
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.
New Atlas, 13 Dec. 2024
Yet from the first moment on the day of the breakup, Ben and Claire encounter a series of problems, everything from a bus ride with an obnoxious eavesdropping passenger (Stavros Halkias) to reuniting with an overzealous crush (Kate Pittard).
—Courtney Howard, Variety, 6 Dec. 2024
Analysts estimate quantitative indicators of military strength using a sprawling infrastructure of satellites, open-source data collection, spies, and electronic eavesdropping.
—Jason Lyall, Foreign Affairs, 22 July 2022
Ratings on this measure are down significantly in the Trump era, although in many cases the slide began during the Obama presidency, coinciding with revelations about NSA eavesdropping and other similar stories.
—Richard Wike, Foreign Affairs, 8 Jan. 2020
See all Example Sentences for eavesdropping
Dictionary Entries Near eavesdropping
Cite this Entry
“Eavesdropping.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eavesdropping. Accessed 27 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share