listen in
Britishverb
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to listen to the radio
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to intercept radio communications
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to listen but not contribute (to a discussion), esp surreptitiously
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Hear or overhear the conversation of others; eavesdrop. It is also put as listen in on , as in She listened in on her parents and learned they were planning a surprise party . [Early 1900s]
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Tune in and listen to a broadcast, as in Were you listening in the other night when they played Beethoven's Fifth? [1920s]
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.
Pa and Aunt Pretty and even Sal listened in silence, except for an occasional “My word,” or “I never heard that!” from my aunt, who stopped crocheting entirely by the third Wonder.
From Literature
They took turns listening in on the radio conversations of the scientists flying over the volcano.
From Literature
Murray recalls listening in court to the audio of Ruth, who was sitting behind her in the dock, clearly in pain.
From BBC
Information in the article, he said, suggested they "were plainly listening in to our calls".
From BBC
It rejects claims by Harry, pop icon Elton John and his husband David Furnish, and four other well-known figures that it illegally intercepted voicemail messages, listened in on phone calls and deceptively obtained private information.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
