eavesdrop

[eevz-drop]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR eavesdrop 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.

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

Related formseaves·drop·per, nounan·ti·eaves·drop·ping, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for eavesdropper

auditor, snoop, sleuth, wiretapper, hearer

Examples from the Web for eavesdropper

Historical Examples of eavesdropper

If you care to be an eavesdropper you must have a knowledge of Gaelic to be one effectively.
Camps, Quarters and Casual Places
Archibald Forbes
Betide what might, it was not for Garnache to play the eavesdropper.
St. Martin's Summer
Rafael Sabatini
There's no need of mincing the matter; we need fear no eavesdropper here.
The Knight Of Gwynne, Vol. II (of II)
Charles James Lever
"God forbid I should act as eavesdropper," exclaimed the passenger.
A Romance of the West Indies
Eugne Sue
This eavesdropper knew their arrangements for the night ride.
Oswald Langdon
Carson Jay Lee

British Dictionary definitions for eavesdropper

eavesdrop

verb -drops, -dropping or -dropped

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

Derived Formseavesdropper, 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

Word Origin and History for eavesdropper

mid-15c., from Middle English eavesdrop, from Old English yfesdrype "place around a house where the rainwater drips off the roof," from eave (q.v.) + drip (v.). Technically, "one who stands at walls or windows to overhear what's going on inside."

eavesdrop

c.1600, probably a back-formation from eavesdropper. Related: Eavesdropping.