eavesdrop

[ eevz-drop ]

/ ˈivzˌdrɒp /

Save This Word!

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.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "IS" VS. "ARE"

"Is" it time for a new quiz? "Are" you ready? Then prove your excellent skills on using "is" vs. "are."

Question 1 of 7

IS and ARE are both forms of which verb?

have

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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. 2022

How to use eavesdrop in a sentence

A few years ago, I was standing in a queue behind two men and eavesdropping on their conversation.
Will Jargon Be the Death of the English Language?|The Telegraph|March 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He lambasted the NSA for its over-zealous data grabs, and its unrestrained eavesdropping on average Americans.
Demographics Or Destiny in 2016|Lloyd Green|March 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Think spy satellites, stealth bombers, next-missile-spotting radars, next-gen drones, and ultra-powerful eavesdropping gear.
Read the Pentagon’s $59 Billion ‘Black Budget’|Brandy Zadrozny|March 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The intelligence community knows this, he said, from insights gleaned from eavesdropping on the night of the attack.
Yes, There IS Evidence Linking al Qaeda to Benghazi|Eli Lake|December 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST

But Schiff also said sometimes eavesdropping has its limits as well.
Yes, There IS Evidence Linking al Qaeda to Benghazi|Eli Lake|December 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST
I thought she had come to her right senses, at last, and was making the shift to break off the eavesdropping.
The Wreckers|Francis Lynde
He persists, then sees his mother in private, kills a courtier who was eavesdropping, and convicts his mother of her sin.
Tolstoy on Shakespeare|Leo Tolstoy
Relieved, yet ashamed of his eavesdropping, he ran down the road toward his home.
Patchwork|Anna Balmer Myers
Paul had heard of people who actually deemed eavesdropping unbecoming!
The Knight Of Gwynne, Vol. II (of II)|Charles James Lever
It was secure from any but forcible entrance, and eavesdropping from outside would be worse than useless.
Shadow, the Mysterious Detective|Police Captain Howard

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