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

Use strong antivirus software to scan for keyloggers or spyware. 5. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 22 June 2025

Advertisement In January, Meta alleged that journalists and other WhatsApp users had been targeted by spyware from Paragon Solutions, an Israeli spyware maker. —Callum Sutherland, Time, 18 June 2025

The attacks mentioned in their alert took advantage of the same vulnerability to plant spyware on targets’ devices. —Kate O'Flaherty, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025

Another way of disrupting spyware is to turn your iPhone off and on again. —Kate O'Flaherty, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1994, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for spyware

• abwehr
• affair
• affaire
• airfare
• altair
• armchair
• aware
• beware
• bugbear
• carfare
• childcare
• compare

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