eavesdrop
verb (used without object)
to listen secretly to a private conversation.
eavesdropped
-
past participleof eavesdrop.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
-
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
Data might be despatched through optical fibres using particles of light making it almost impossible to be eavesdropped or hacked.
From BBC ● May 6, 2024
One night, as I eavesdropped before being chased to bed, I heard her say how bright the explosion was.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 31, 2022
During one moment in “The Willows,” I found myself trapped under a bed with an actor, Jacob Miller’s character named Conrad, and a stranger as we eavesdropped on another group.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2022
Ophie stopped pretending not to listen to Mrs. Caruthers and Richard’s conversation, and just openly eavesdropped.
From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland
