wiretap

[wahyuhr-tap]

noun

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

verb (used with object)

wiretapped, wiretapping 

1. to obtain (information, evidence, etc.) by tapping telephone or telegraph wires.

   to wiretap conversations.

2. to listen in on by means of a wiretap.

   to wiretap a telephone; to wiretap a conversation.

verb (used without object)

wiretapped, wiretapping 

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

adjective

1. pertaining to or obtained by wiretap.

wiretap

/ ˈwaɪəˌtæp /

verb

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

Other Word Forms

• wiretapping noun
• wiretapper noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of wiretap¹

First recorded in 1950–55; back formation from wiretapper

Example Sentences

Schmidt and the company are accused of violating the California Comprehensive Computer Data Access and Fraud Act, and a section of the state penal code that prohibits wiretapping.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The notifications are routine in wiretap investigations once surveillance ends, but the letters set off a wave of panic across California’s political power structure.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The anti-corruption agency then gradually released a series of videos featuring wiretapped conversations of those implicated in the scheme.

Read more on Barron's

Nabu has been releasing new snippets of its investigation and wiretaps every day and on Tuesday it promised more would come.

Read more on BBC

Sometimes, the feds couldn’t either: One informant, resting his legs on the desk of mob boss Joey Merlino, had the wire to the wiretap hanging from the bottom of his pants leg.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• consider 
• examine 
• explore 
• inspect 
• interrogate 
• probe 
• question 
• review 
• scrutinize 
• search 
• study