Meaning & use
eavesdropping
Last updated
The act of secretly listening to a private conversation without the speakers' knowledge or consent.
See it in a sentence
She was caught eavesdropping outside her parents' bedroom door.
Eavesdropping on classified calls is a federal crime.
A note on using this word
The word comes from standing under a building's "eaves" (roof edge) to overhear conversations inside; it now also applies to digital surveillance, such as eavesdropping on phone calls.
Words with a similar meaning
snoopingspying
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
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