Peeping Tom

American  

noun

1. a person who obtains sexual gratification by observing others surreptitiously, especially a man who looks through windows at night.

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Peeping Tom British  

noun

1. a man who furtively observes women undressing; voyeur

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peeping Tom Cultural  

1. One who derives pleasure, usually sexual, from secretly spying on others. (See voyeurism.)

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peeping Tom Idioms  

1. A person who secretly watches others, especially for sexual gratification; a voyeur. For example, The police caught a peeping Tom right outside their house. This expression, first recorded in 1796, alludes to the legend of the tailor Tom, the only person to watch the naked Lady Godiva as she rode by and who was struck blind for this sin.

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The original “peeping Tom” was a legendary resident of the town where Lady Godiva rode naked through the streets. According to the story, Tom defied official orders by looking out his window as she went by and was struck blind.

Etymology

Origin of Peeping Tom

First recorded in 1910–15; allusion to the legendary man who peeped at Lady Godiva as she rode naked through Coventry

Example Sentences

Nevertheless, they retain a whiff of the transgressive — the Peeping Tom quality that makes Hitchcock’s “Rear Window” creepy.

From New York Times • Mar. 3, 2023

“This technology is creepy to me in a Peeping Tom type of way,” said John Townsend, a public affairs manager at AAA Mid-Atlantic, which represents 1 million motorists in Maryland.

From Washington Times • Dec. 6, 2019

A neighbor accused him of peering into her home, but a Peeping Tom charge against Dear was dismissed a month after it was filed.

From US News • Nov. 28, 2015

Barlow once wrote that “trusting the government with your privacy is like having a Peeping Tom install your window blinds.”

From Washington Post • Mar. 20, 2015

I was like a Peeping Tom, but for friendship.

From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah