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

"In Greece the political system cannot tolerate independent authorities, the so-called checks and balances on power. The wiretapping affair was a traumatic experience for our democracy," Rammos told the BBC.

From BBC

They do not, however, include the agency’s nefarious wiretaps of King that are scheduled for release in 2027.

From Salon

Assuming they’d followed the law, arranging such surveillance would have involved a number of legal and technical steps, including securing a wiretapping warrant.

From Salon

The Bush administration authorized the National Security Agency to wiretap the phone conversations of American citizens without court orders.

From Salon

An investigation into the firings unearthed an even more alarming detail: the aides had been outed by a warrantless wiretap.

From Salon

Related Words

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