spyware
Americannoun
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Computers. software that is installed surreptitiously and gathers information about an internet user's browsing habits, intercepts the user's personal data, etc., transmitting this information to a third party.
a parent's use of spyware to monitor a child's online activities.
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tools that are used to conduct espionage.
sophisticated spyware that rivals that of the CIA.
noun
Etymology
Origin of spyware
Vocabulary lists containing spyware
Computer Science and Technology - Middle School
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Computer Science and Technology - High School
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Example Sentences
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The incredible double life of a spyware salesman turned spy.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 27, 2026
Some of those companies are based in the U.S., while others, like Israeli spyware maker Paragon, are based overseas.
From Salon • Mar. 12, 2026
NSO Group insists it only sells its spyware to governments to help track terrorists and criminals.
From BBC • Jan. 30, 2026
It mulled pivoting away from spyware but says it has since refocused on cyber offensive capabilities and Pegasus remains the company’s key product.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 9, 2025
Many of the services were bloated with adware and spyware.
From The Public Domain Enclosing the Commons of the Mind by Boyle, James
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
