wiretap
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
-
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)
adjective
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of wiretap
First recorded in 1950–55; back formation from wiretapper
Explanation
To wiretap is to secretly listen in on someone's phone conversation. In some cases, the FBI will use a wiretap to investigate a serious federal crime. A wiretap is either the act of surveillance with a listening device or the device itself: "They put a wiretap on the mob boss's home phone, but he always uses a cellphone." As a verb, wiretap means to use such a device: "The government can't wiretap someone without a warrant." Since the invention of the telephone, law enforcement has used wiretaps — originally from the sense of tapping (obtaining information from) a telephone wire.
Vocabulary lists containing wiretap
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Spies
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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.
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.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 19, 2025
In fact, conspirators were overheard on a wiretap saying they “wouldn’t trust Joe” to agree to their scheme.
From Barron's • Oct. 17, 2025
The Swedish government has proposed new legislation that would allow police to wiretap children under the age of 15 in an attempt to grapple with the problem.
From BBC • Apr. 30, 2025
While on their tour of duty, the judges decide on FBI requests to wiretap alleged foreign spies.
From Salon • Mar. 13, 2025
In all, the wiretap in "Harvey's Hole" recorded a staggering 433,000 conversations, giving America insight into the mind and plans of its main enemy.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
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.
