wiretap

[ wahyuhr-tap ]

/ ˈwaɪərˌtæp /

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See synonyms for: wiretap / wiretapped / wiretapping on Thesaurus.com

noun

an act or instance of tapping telephone or telegraph wires for evidence or other information.

verb (used with object), wire·tapped, wire·tap·ping.

to obtain (information, evidence, etc.) by tapping telephone or telegraph wires: to wiretap conversations.

to listen in on by means of a wiretap: to wiretap a telephone; to wiretap a conversation.

verb (used without object), wire·tapped, wire·tap·ping.

to tap telephone or telegraph wires for evidence, information, etc.

adjective

pertaining to or obtained by wiretap.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of wiretap

First recorded in 1950–55; back formation from wiretapper

Words nearby wiretap

wire service, wire side, wiresonde, wirespun, wire-stitch, wiretap, wiretapper, wire transfer, wire vine, wirewalker, wireway

How to use wiretap in a sentence

On Hoover’s desk sat a notebook containing all the outstanding wiretaps the Bureau then had running.
Working for J. Edgar Hoover, I Saw His Worst Excesses and Best Intentions|Paul Letersky|July 22, 2021|Time
Theoharis obtained tens of thousands of documents related to illegal wiretaps, mail openings and break-ins.
Athan Theoharis, historian who exposed FBI misconduct, dies at 84|Harrison Smith|July 12, 2021|Washington Post
There don’t seem to be any secret wiretaps or defectors who are telling all.
They called it a conspiracy theory. But Alina Chan tweeted life into the idea that the virus came from a lab.|Antonio Regalado|June 25, 2021|MIT Technology Review
The Electronic Frontier Foundation’s guide to recording police notes that in places with one-party-consent wiretap laws—38 US states and the District of Columbia—you can freely record audio.
The tactics police are using to prevent bystander video|Abby Ohlheiser|April 30, 2021|MIT Technology Review

The government got what it needed from a wiretap of defendant Basaaly Saeed Moalin's phone, not from the mass collection of metadata.
NSA spying exposed by Snowden was illegal and not very useful, court says|Jon Brodkin|September 3, 2020|Ars Technica
After a wiretap at the home of a Civella relative produced devastating evidence of hidden ownership, the FBI moved in.
The Ballad of Mitzi Stauffer Briggs, Heiress Who Lost It All in Vegas|John L. Smith|September 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Tipped off by the wiretap, federal agents in another incident pulled over a locked freezer truck, loaded with 26 people.
The Gangster Matriarch of L.A.|Christine Pelisek|September 13, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Helpfully, he's fled to Yemen, where that nation's intelligence service can freely wiretap him.
To Hell With Privacy|Richard Miniter|December 30, 2009|DAILY BEAST
After all, to get a FISA judge to grant a warrant, you at least need to know the name of the person you want to wiretap.
To Hell With Privacy|Richard Miniter|December 30, 2009|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for wiretap

wiretap

/ (ˈwaɪəˌtæp) /

verb -taps, -tapping or -tapped

to make a connection to a telegraph or telephone wire in order to obtain information secretly

Derived forms of wiretap

wiretapper, nounwiretapping, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

wiretap

Origin of wiretap

Words nearby wiretap

Words related to wiretap

How to use wiretap in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for wiretap

Derived forms of wiretap