voyeur

[ vwah-yur, voi-; French vwa-yœr ]

noun

, plural vo·yeurs [vwah-, yurz, voi-, vw, a, -, yœr].

1. a person who engages in voyeurism.

voyeur

/ vwajœr; vwaɪˈɜː /

noun

1. a person who obtains sexual pleasure or excitement from the observation of someone undressing, having intercourse, etc

Derived Forms

• ˌvoyeurˈistically, adverb
• ˌvoyeurˈistic, adjective
• voˈyeurism, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of voyeur¹

First recorded in 1915–20; from French, equivalent to voi(r) “to see” (from Latin vidēre; video ( def ) ) + -eur -eur

Word History and Origins

Origin of voyeur¹

C20: French, literally: one who sees, from voir to see, from Latin vidēre

Example Sentences

The occasional voyeur witnessed how a playful mouth delved into the most intimate parts, while they were soaked by a morning shower when everyone slept in.

From Washington Blade

There is no better place in the world for a voyeur like me to be constantly amused.

From The Daily Beast

A viewer of a Metsu scene should also feel like a participant in it, not like a remote, Vermeer-ish voyeur.

From The Daily Beast

To hear Moore dissect that last scene, she was as much the voyeur of the moment as the participant.

From The Daily Beast

And as soon as that thing comes off, they better clear a path to the bar at Voyeur.

From The Daily Beast

Last Thursday night, Lindsay Lohan got punched in the face at her own birthday party, at a Los Angeles nightclub called Voyeur.

From The Daily Beast

It was obviously not the case of a voyeur spying on others—not with the kind of excitement the running man had shown.

From Project Gutenberg

He ate with such visible pleasure that Perry felt like a voyeur.

From Project Gutenberg