eavesdrop
verb (used without object)
to listen secretly to a private conversation.
is eavesdropping
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present progressiveof eavesdrop (3rd person singular).present progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or state that is currently taking place in the immediate 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.
“The plan is to write as if only the people I’m talking to are going to read the poem. … Then everyone else is eavesdropping on what is hopefully a super-interesting conversation,” said Elhillo.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2022
Nor is eavesdropping possible when terrorists transmit truly sensitive information via the ancient but durable channel of couriers.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 1, 2021
Crucially, if an intruder were to intercept the qubits, Alice and Bob could detect the intrusion, discard the qubits and start over—theoretically continuing until no one is eavesdropping on the quantum channel.
From Scientific American ● Jun. 19, 2019
Of course, we all realize that the one thing we are actively doing with our lives is eavesdropping on chat board conversations while we procrastinate.
From Slate ● Dec. 26, 2018
But I assure you, Arina Prohorovna, nobody is eavesdropping.
From The Possessed (The Devils) by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
