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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use eavesdrop in a sentence

Have you ever wondered about what life is like for a professional U.S. government eavesdropper?
A New Trove of NSA Documents Reveal What Spies Read for Fun|Eli Lake|March 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But the eavesdropper heard with full appreciation the richness of the low voice and could not wonder at Bob's delight in it.
Red Pepper Burns|Grace S. Richmond
At this juncture the couple turned their backs upon the eavesdropper, who had stolen to within a few paces of them.
Two Boys in Wyoming|Edward S. Ellis
I was an eavesdropper entirely by accident, but what I heard might help some.
Grace Harlowe's Plebe Year at High School|Jessie Graham Flower

Let him play eavesdropper if he finds it consistent with his character as a gentleman.
A Confederate Girl's Diary|Sarah Margan Dawson
That he had unwittingly played eavesdropper troubled him not a little.
The Pony Rider Boys in Texas|Frank Gee Patchin

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 related to eavesdrop

How to use eavesdrop in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for eavesdrop

Derived forms of eavesdrop

Word Origin for eavesdrop