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. 2018

Examples from the Web for eavesdropping

Contemporary Examples

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
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
From eavesdropping to exceptionalism, the filmmaker explains why America is a sick country.
Oliver Stone on the Tyranny of Obama’s ‘Exceptional’ America
Andrew Romano
October 17, 2013
Eavesdropping from afar on the debate about how American Jews will vote this year is a slightly surrealistic business.
Republicans and the 'Quality of Sodom'
Gershom Gorenberg
July 23, 2012
When Cal overhears his father plotting, he feels like Jim Hawkins eavesdropping on John Silver and the pirates planning mutiny.
Must Read Novels: Ballard, Dybek, and Krasznahorkai
Jacob Silverman, Malcolm Forbes, John McIntyre
April 23, 2012

Historical Examples

Was it right for her to be eavesdropping when older people were talking, the little goose?
L'Assommoir
Emile Zola
Besides, she did not wish her father and mother to know she had been eavesdropping.
Polly of Lady Gay Cottage
Emma C. Dowd
In it, his words were not vulnerable to the sono-beam's eavesdropping.
Zero Data
Charles Saphro
Their eavesdropping vibrations, with audible projection, were upon me.
Astounding Stories of Super-Science, March 1930
Various
He did not mean the blinking, eavesdropping humbug to force his action.
End of the Tether
Joseph Conrad

British Dictionary definitions for eavesdropping

eavesdrop

verb -drops, -dropping or -dropped

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

Derived Formseavesdropper, noun

Word Origin

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 eavesdropping

eavesdrop

v.

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

eavesdrop

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}eavesdrop

Examples from the Web for eavesdropping

Contemporary Examples

A few years ago, I was standing in a queue behind two men and eavesdropping on their conversation.

The intelligence community knows this, he said, from insights gleaned from eavesdropping on the night of the attack.

From eavesdropping to exceptionalism, the filmmaker explains why America is a sick country.

Eavesdropping from afar on the debate about how American Jews will vote this year is a slightly surrealistic business.

When Cal overhears his father plotting, he feels like Jim Hawkins eavesdropping on John Silver and the pirates planning mutiny.

Historical Examples

Was it right for her to be eavesdropping when older people were talking, the little goose?

Besides, she did not wish her father and mother to know she had been eavesdropping.

In it, his words were not vulnerable to the sono-beam's eavesdropping.

Their eavesdropping vibrations, with audible projection, were upon me.

He did not mean the blinking, eavesdropping humbug to force his action.

eavesdrop

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for eavesdropping

eavesdrop

v.

Origin of eavesdrop