eavesdrop
verb (used without object)
to listen secretly to a private conversation.
have eavesdropped
-
present perfectof eavesdrop.present perfect
Used to describe actions that started in the past and continue into or have direct relevance to the present.
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.
I have eavesdropped on other patients just losing their minds, saying this is absolutely ridiculous.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
For the first time, scientists have eavesdropped year-round on the songs of bowhead whales, the little-heard whales that roam the Arctic under the ice.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 3, 2018
BST05:55 I do wish I could have eavesdropped the moment when George Osborne chatted with Austria’s finance minister.
From The Guardian ● May 12, 2015
I have eavesdropped on grad students presenting dissertations about the subtext of neocolonialism in my writing.
From Scientific American ● Apr. 25, 2013
You should have eavesdropped earlier and you would have learned that there was no treason in the matter.
From John Splendid The Tale of a Poor Gentleman, and the Little Wars of Lorn by Neil Munro
