Meaning & use
stop eavesdropping
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Meanings
phraseintransitive
To no longer listen secretly to other people's private conversations, or to tell someone to end this behavior.
Grammar: No object: you stop eavesdropping on someone. If you name the person, use 'on': stop eavesdropping on your sister.
Patterns
- stop eavesdropping
- stop eavesdropping on someone
- tell someone to stop eavesdropping
Please stop eavesdropping — this phone call is private.
The children stopped eavesdropping on their parents and went upstairs.
He was told to stop eavesdropping outside the manager's office.
phraseintransitivetechnical
To stop secretly reading or collecting other people's private messages, calls, or data.
Grammar: Used about technology and organizations; often followed by 'on' plus the person or group being watched.
Patterns
- stop eavesdropping on something
- stop eavesdropping on calls
The company promised to stop eavesdropping on customers' emails.
New laws forced the agency to stop eavesdropping on private calls.
Common combinations
- stop eavesdropping on someone
- She asked her little brother to stop eavesdropping on her phone calls.
- refuse to stop eavesdropping
- The company refused to stop eavesdropping on users' private messages.
- stop eavesdropping immediately
- The teacher told the class to stop eavesdropping immediately.
- quietly stop eavesdropping
- He quietly stopped eavesdropping when he heard his name.
Synonyms and how they differ
- stop listening in
- Very similar and equally informal, but 'listen in' can sometimes mean joining a conversation on purpose rather than secretly.
- stop snooping
- Broader: snooping can mean searching through someone's things or records, not only listening to talk.
Opposites
Word family
- eavesdrop verb
- The base verb meaning to listen secretly to a private conversation.
- eavesdropper noun
- A person who secretly listens to others' conversations.
Commonly confused: stop eavesdropping or overhear?
stop eavesdropping vs overhear
Overhearing is accidental — you happen to hear something. Eavesdropping is deliberate and secret, so 'stop eavesdropping' means stop doing it on purpose.
Practice
Which sentence uses the phrase correctly?
Choose one answer.
After 'stop' we use the -ing form, and the person being listened to is introduced with 'on'. Option 1 uses the bare verb and option 2 wrongly uses 'to', while option 3 leaves out the needed 'on'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “stop eavesdropping”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.