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• Peeping Tom
  Peeping Tom

  noun

  a person who obtains sexual gratification by observing others surreptitiously, especially a man who looks through windows at night.
• peeping Tom
  peeping Tom

  One who derives pleasure, usually sexual, from secretly spying on others. (See voyeurism.)

Peeping Tom

American  

noun

1. a person who obtains sexual gratification by observing others surreptitiously, especially a man who looks through windows at night.

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Peeping Tom British  

noun

1. a man who furtively observes women undressing; voyeur

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peeping Tom Cultural  

1. One who derives pleasure, usually sexual, from secretly spying on others. (See voyeurism.)

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peeping Tom Idioms  

1. A person who secretly watches others, especially for sexual gratification; a voyeur. For example, The police caught a peeping Tom right outside their house. This expression, first recorded in 1796, alludes to the legend of the tailor Tom, the only person to watch the naked Lady Godiva as she rode by and who was struck blind for this sin.

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The original “peeping Tom” was a legendary resident of the town where Lady Godiva rode naked through the streets. According to the story, Tom defied official orders by looking out his window as she went by and was struck blind.

Etymology

Origin of Peeping Tom

First recorded in 1910–15; allusion to the legendary man who peeped at Lady Godiva as she rode naked through Coventry

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Peeping Tom peeping Tom

Argentine choreographer Gabriela Carrizo makes her debut directing opera and utilizes her alarmingly vibrant Belgian dance company, Peeping Tom.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

Nevertheless, they retain a whiff of the transgressive — the Peeping Tom quality that makes Hitchcock’s “Rear Window” creepy.

From New York Times ● Mar. 3, 2023

“This technology is creepy to me in a Peeping Tom type of way,” said John Townsend, a public affairs manager at AAA Mid-Atlantic, which represents 1 million motorists in Maryland.

From Washington Times ● Dec. 6, 2019

Though certain advocates argue that existing Peeping Tom regulations already cover privacy-violating uses of drone data, we don’t have any federal laws that directly address drone privacy.

From Slate ● Jun. 15, 2018

I was like a Peeping Tom, but for friendship.

From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah

The alleged peeping Tom appeared outside a residence on Pearl Street in North Nashville around 6 a.m. on Feb. 1, Feb. 2 and on Monday, the Metro Nashville Police Department said.

From Fox News ● Feb. 9, 2022

“This technology is creepy to me in a peeping Tom type of way,” said John Townsend, a public affairs manager at AAA Mid-Atlantic, which represents 1 million motorists in Maryland.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 5, 2019

Bloom shape-shifts into a lawyer, tyrant and craven peeping Tom.

From Scientific American ● Jun. 16, 2018

He said the scene was intended to create empathy for Tyler, a character he says can easily be dismissed as a "loner" and "peeping Tom".

From BBC ● May 27, 2018

Well, there sat the poor woman,—you see, Mrs. Grundy, that she was no Godiva, nor I a peeping Tom.

From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 16, No. 93, July, 1865 by Various