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
Officials with the appropriate security clearances enter a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF), like the White House Situation Room, which is designed to block out eavesdropping and surveillance attempts.
—Sam Sabin, Axios, 25 Mar. 2025
This bucket includes things like GPS navigation satellites, NRO surveillance and eavesdropping platforms, and strategic communications satellites built to survive a nuclear war.
—ArsTechnica, 5 Apr. 2025
Although not a household name like the CIA or FBI, the NSA is a vast and extremely high-tech spying agency that specializes in gathering signals intelligence – more commonly known as electronic eavesdropping - around the world, in space and more recently in cyberspace.
—Josh Meyer, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2025
Encryption not only helps prevent eavesdropping but also ensures that sensitive conversations—like financial transactions or legal discussions—remain private.
—Ruchir Brahmbhatt, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for eavesdropping
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Sam Sabin, Axios, 25 Mar. 2025
This bucket includes things like GPS navigation satellites, NRO surveillance and eavesdropping platforms, and strategic communications satellites built to survive a nuclear war.
—ArsTechnica, 5 Apr. 2025
Although not a household name like the CIA or FBI, the NSA is a vast and extremely high-tech spying agency that specializes in gathering signals intelligence – more commonly known as electronic eavesdropping - around the world, in space and more recently in cyberspace.
—Josh Meyer, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2025
Encryption not only helps prevent eavesdropping but also ensures that sensitive conversations—like financial transactions or legal discussions—remain private.
—Ruchir Brahmbhatt, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for eavesdropping
Cite this Entry
“Eavesdropping.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eavesdropping. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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