spyware

noun

spy·​ware ˈspī-ˌwer 

: software that is installed in a computer or mobile device without the user's knowledge and that transmits information about the user's activities

Jan should scan her computer for viruses, worms, and spyware …

—Kenneth Baldauf and Ralph Stair

Smartphones belonging to more than three dozen journalists, human rights activists, and business executives have been infected with powerful spyware that an Israeli firm sells, purportedly to catch terrorists and criminals, The Washington Post and other publications reported.

—Dan Goodin

Examples of spyware in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Biden administration, for example, launched a global effort to crack down on commercial spyware that authoritarian regimes have used to suppress dissent. —Eric Geller, WIRED, 16 Jan. 2025

In a nod to the need for spyware protection, Bitdefender includes a webcam protection component. —PCMAG, 13 Jan. 2025

If the growing threat from spyware is not enough, Google is now stepping in to fix the issue. —Zak Doffman, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024

Here's what antivirus does: 1) Malware detection and removal: Antivirus software scans your device for viruses, trojans, spyware and other malicious software, then removes or quarantines these threats. —Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, Fox News, 31 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1994, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

spyware

noun

spy·​ware

ˈspī-ˌwer

: software that is installed in a computer or mobile device without the user's knowledge and that transmits information about the user's activities