eavesdrop
Americanverb (used without object)
-
eavesdrops,
present (3rd person singular)
-
eavesdropped,
past participle, past
-
eavesdropping
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
eavesdrops,
present (3rd person singular)
-
eavesdropped,
past participle, past
-
eavesdropping
present participle
noun
-
water that drips from the eaves.
-
the ground on which such water falls.
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
eavesdropsimple
-
eavesdropssimple
-
have eavesdroppedperfect
-
has eavesdroppedperfect
-
am eavesdroppingprogressive
-
are eavesdroppingprogressive
-
is eavesdroppingprogressive
-
have been eavesdroppingperfect progressive
-
has been eavesdroppingperfect progressive
Past
-
eavesdroppedsimple
-
had eavesdroppedperfect
-
was eavesdroppingprogressive
-
were eavesdroppingprogressive
-
had been eavesdroppingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of eavesdrop
before 900; (noun) Middle English evesdrope, evesdripe, Old English yfesdrype; as v., probably back formation from eavesdropper, late Middle English evisdroppyr, apparently literally, one who stands on the eavesdrop in order to listen to conversations inside the house; see eave, drop, drip
Explanation
When you eavesdrop, you secretly listen in on someone's conversation. A little girl might eavesdrop on her parents in an attempt to find out what she's getting for her birthday. Whenever you deliberately overhear a phone conversation, or two people having a quiet argument, you eavesdrop. You might eavesdrop on a funny exchange between two friends at a cafe, or eavesdrop on an important conversation between your boss and one of your coworkers. The verb eavesdrop comes from the old-fashioned noun eavesdropper, "one who listens from under the eaves," from the even more old-fashioned eavesdrop, "ground where rainwater drips off the roof."
Vocabulary lists containing eavesdrop
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The president sometimes messes with the reporters on the line or lets people around him eavesdrop on speakerphone.
From Slate ● Mar. 18, 2026
In rehearsal, Mays fully inhabits his role — and his costume — moving with a lithe formality as he strives to eavesdrop on Mozart and Constanze.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 13, 2026
Ushakov suggested during one interview with a Russian news site that some conversations happen over WhatsApp, an encrypted messaging app owned by Meta, and that could allow people to eavesdrop.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 26, 2025
Their ability to detect low-frequency sounds helps them eavesdrop on the mating calls of frogs.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 1, 2025
Once they exited the terminal, he closed the gap enough to eavesdrop on her conversation with the attendant at the Airlink ticket window.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
One of the few au courant innovations on “What’s in the Box?” involves surveillance: As one couple answers questions, the camera eavesdrops on the conversations among their competition, which can range from catty to worse.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 16, 2025
Donkey eavesdrops on a type of discussion that she’s never heard before, one that lays out not only the dilemmas at hand but also the disagreements and the connections that persist.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 3, 2024
Mailata, a five-year veteran, eavesdrops on Kelce’s tutorials to Jurgens so he can learn more about football.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 19, 2023
The film eavesdrops on board meetings and attends parties.
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2022
Mom eavesdrops on Abuela and me then lambastes us with one of her sixty-odd diatribes when she doesn’t like what she hears.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
“Maybe they’re fakes, maybe they are eavesdropped conversations,” Putin said of the transcripts earlier reported by Bloomberg News.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 27, 2025
Data might be despatched through optical fibres using particles of light making it almost impossible to be eavesdropped or hacked.
From BBC ● May 6, 2024
The probe, codenamed “Operation Dunhammer,” concluded that NSA had eavesdropped on political leaders.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 21, 2023
During one moment in “The Willows,” I found myself trapped under a bed with an actor, Jacob Miller’s character named Conrad, and a stranger as we eavesdropped on another group.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2022
When their monthly book group met at our house, I sat at the top of the stairs in my pajamas and eavesdropped.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
The podcast aims to offer a balm in anxious times, an hour of eavesdropping on Poehler and the famous friends, collaborators and personal heroes she’s amassed over more than 25 years in show business.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
It was part of a network of country houses with similar set-ups for eavesdropping, with the gathered intelligence then shared with Bletchley Park.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
A spokesperson for the district attorney’s office confirmed prosecutors are reviewing the LAPD’s criminal investigation for potential illegal eavesdropping charges.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
The moment the door to the flat was forced was recorded on an audio eavesdropping device - a bug - that UK law enforcement had put in the flat.
From BBC ● Mar. 6, 2026
She has a not-so-secret habit of eavesdropping on other people’s conversations.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
