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
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Watsons Go to Birmingham
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"The Scholarship Jacket" by Marta Salinas
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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
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
If Angela Rayner thinks that too, then her decision may well come down to how seriously she takes the warnings that China could eavesdrop on the UK's banks.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2025
I figured I was gonna have ’bout a hour to eavesdrop on the meeting afore I had to get back to Cooter’s home.
From "Elijah of Buxton" by Christopher Paul Curtis
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
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
The film eavesdrops on a group of teenage students during a critical day in their lives, when a classmate’s funeral has prompted them to wrestle with social status and school personas.
From New York Times ● Jun. 9, 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
The satellites eavesdropped on Russian missiles and defense installations.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2025
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 probe, codenamed “Operation Dunhammer,” concluded that NSA had eavesdropped on political leaders.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 21, 2023
I knew something Lily didn’t know—because I had eavesdropped.
From "It All Comes Down to This" by Karen English
It was an undecipherable crackle, and he suspected Flock had hung vinyl sheets on windows to defeat eavesdropping.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 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
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
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
Neither Mia, who did not want to admit she’d been eavesdropping, nor Moody, who did not want to be labeled a goody two-shoes, said a word about it.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
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.
