eavesdrop
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
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
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know
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The Watsons Go to Birmingham
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"The Scholarship Jacket" by Marta Salinas
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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:
An expanded diplomatic presence will allow North Korea’s spy agency to eavesdrop more on overseas communications, Chun said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
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
Their ability to detect low-frequency sounds helps them eavesdrop on the mating calls of frogs.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 1, 2025
I creep near the cabin where the council members are talking so that I can eavesdrop.
From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone
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
As a teen in Azerbaijan, Kiesling’s Bunny eavesdrops on chatter about oil companies scrambling for position in the post-Soviet state; later, in Texas, she becomes enmeshed in a small energy firm’s dubious involvement with renewables.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2023
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
Madoc breezily retrieves a cocktail and eavesdrops on the guests' appraisals of his latest, ranging from envious to gushing.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 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
They eavesdropped on conversations — some critiquing Ballard’s shape a little harshly considering the one day of training the starters had together.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 21, 2024
Amid revelations that the NSA had eavesdropped on allied leaders — including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.N. diplomats — President Barack Obama in 2013 ordered the agency to stop the practice.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 15, 2023
Boys who hung about and eavesdropped on the men’s conversations would be called upon to perform certain tasks—slaughter chickens behind the cooking huts, chop firewood.
From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah
In a story first reported by NBC7 San Diego, court records show that Rayna Bell pleaded guilty to a reduced misdemeanor charge of eavesdropping using an electronic device.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
A VPN cannot protect you from all online threats, such as eavesdropping attacks, fake Wi-Fi hotspots or IP-based tracking.
From Salon ● Nov. 30, 2025
Quantum cryptography offers a promising defense by using the rules of quantum physics to secure communication against eavesdropping.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 29, 2025
As Ms. Picasso puts it: “There’s a lot of chatter going on between these works—like we’re eavesdropping at a party.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025
“Big Rose, this storage room ain’t big enough for the two of us,” I said all low, just in case Mr. Ali was eavesdropping outside the door.
From "The Stars Beneath Our Feet" by David Barclay Moore
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.
