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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"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:
The president sometimes messes with the reporters on the line or lets people around him eavesdrop on speakerphone.
From Slate ● Mar. 18, 2026
A trade office allegedly helped to eavesdrop on Chinese dissidents.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 10, 2026
They’ve even heard of “Ear Hustle” — which means to eavesdrop — listening and discussion clubs in an Arkansas prison.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 26, 2026
Their ability to detect low-frequency sounds helps them eavesdrop on the mating calls of frogs.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 1, 2025
Desperate for a break, the private detectives decided to install a listening device to eavesdrop on Rose and her boyfriend.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
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
Krapp eavesdrops, in effect, on his younger literary aspirations and his decision to end the relationship that turned out to be his last chance of love.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 16, 2025
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
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
What none of the call's participants know is that they're being eavesdropped on - and their conversation is being recorded.
From BBC ● Mar. 7, 2024
The United States eavesdropped on United Nations Secretary General António Guterres’s conversations with other U.N. officials, according to four classified reports obtained by The Washington Post.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 15, 2023
On the road, Shin encountered several worn-looking men and eavesdropped on their conversations.
From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden
Unlike surround-sound in movie theaters which pinpoints directionality, the result here was diffusion — not eavesdropping but pure immersion.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 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
Any attempt to intercept the quantum signals disturbs them, creating detectable errors that alert users to possible eavesdropping.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 17, 2026
One former US intelligence official said information gleaned by Colombian officers was often vital in supporting American eavesdropping and satellite intelligence.
From Barron's ● Nov. 13, 2025
“Um, Fred?” said Scruffy, looking around to make sure nobody was eavesdropping.
From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein
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.
