wiretap
[wahyuh r-tap]
- an act or instance of tapping telephone or telegraph wires for evidence or other information.
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- 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.
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- to tap telephone or telegraph wires for evidence, information, etc.
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- pertaining to or obtained by wiretap.
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Origin of wiretap
First recorded in 1950–55; back formation from wiretapper
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for wiretapping
Contemporary Examples
All (presumably) without the wiretapping of political opponents.
‘Breaking Bad’ in the White House: Bryan Cranston as LBJ in 'All the Way'David Freedlander
March 7, 2014
Maybe this isn't fatal; I'm certainly no expert on wiretapping.
“They needed and wanted his cooperation in their [federal RICO and wiretapping] investigation,” he wrote.
Judge Denies Bail Request by Anthony Pellicano, Former Sleuth to the StarsChristine Pelisek
August 14, 2012
The verdict in the Civil War trial is still pending, but the wiretapping conviction makes that case almost redundant.
He was charged with bribery and attempted conspiracy of wiretapping and mail fraud.
wiretap
- to make a connection to a telegraph or telephone wire in order to obtain information secretly
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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