eavesdrop

[ eevz-drop ]

/ ˈivzˌdrɒp /

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See synonyms for: eavesdrop / eavesdropping / eavesdropper on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), eaves·dropped, eaves·drop·ping.

to listen secretly to a private conversation.

verb (used with object), eaves·dropped, eaves·drop·ping.

Archaic. to eavesdrop on.

noun Also eaves·drip

[eevz-drip]. /ˈivzˌdrɪp/.

water that drips from the eaves.

the ground on which such water falls.

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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

OTHER WORDS FROM eavesdrop

eavesdropper, nounan·ti·eaves·drop·ping, adjective

Words nearby eavesdrop

eau de vie, eau de vie de marc, eau minérale, eave, eaves, eavesdrop, eave spout, eavestrough, eave trough, EB, Eban

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use eavesdrop in a sentence

NCIS managed to eavesdrop on phone calls Wright made to his mother, Valerie Burgess.
The Navy ‘Hero’ Who Pimped an HIV-Positive Teen|M.L. Nestel|December 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But the FSB has far more power to eavesdrop on Russian and foreign citizens than the FBI or the NSA.
Sorry, Snowden: Putin Lied to You About His Surveillance State—And Made You a Pawn of It|Eli Lake|April 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One of the most popular is the X-37B can sneak up and eavesdrop on other satellites.
Will The Pentagon’s Secret Space Plane Ever Return to Earth?|Kyle Mizokami|April 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A brilliant look into the lives of the 1980s East German Stasi (Secret Police) and the civilians they spy and eavesdrop on.
Shawn Ryan’s Favorite War Movies|Shawn Ryan|September 26, 2012|DAILY BEAST

He was also a dead-on mimic, the kind of guy who could eavesdrop on a snatch of conversation and instantly spoof both ends.
The Story of the American Journalists Who Landed on D-Day|Timothy M. Gay|June 6, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Without intending to eavesdrop, Frank paused there a moment, unconsciously listening.
Frank Merriwell's Chums|Burt L. Standish
I suppose you mean I must loaf around there and eavesdrop—for anything that may come over.
A Pagan of the Hills|Charles Neville Buck
I had no intention to eavesdrop, but I was drowsy and for a moment or two I nodded again.
The Story of Bawn|Katharine Tynan
She drew a chair to the window and sat down to eavesdrop without the slightest feeling of compunction.
The Lone Ranger Rides|Fran Striker
So Sofia could, if she had cared to eavesdrop, have overheard everything that passed between Mr. Karslake and the man Nogam.
Red Masquerade|Louis Joseph Vance

British Dictionary definitions for eavesdrop

eavesdrop

/ (ˈiːvzˌdrɒp) /

verb -drops, -dropping or -dropped

(intr) to listen secretly to the private conversation of others

Derived forms of eavesdrop

eavesdropper, noun

Word Origin for eavesdrop

C17: back formation from earlier evesdropper, from Old English yfesdrype water dripping from the eaves; see eaves, drop; compare Old Norse upsardropi

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

eavesdrop

Origin of eavesdrop

OTHER WORDS FROM eavesdrop

Words nearby eavesdrop

Words related to eavesdrop

How to use eavesdrop in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for eavesdrop

Derived forms of eavesdrop

Word Origin for eavesdrop