eavesdrop
verb (used without object)
to listen secretly to a private conversation.
eavesdropped
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past participleof eavesdrop.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
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past tense formof eavesdrop.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
eavesdropverb (used without object)to listen secretly to a private conversation.
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.
“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
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
Veronika eavesdropped more carefully, for she assumed all the shouting must have to do with her.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
