fly on the wall

1 of 2

noun phrase

: someone who is able to secretly watch or listen to other people
What might the proverbial fly on the wall have heard if four leading scientists had met over dinner in 1949 …Publishers Weekly
: having or involving an inconspicuous but effective point of observation
fly-on-the-wall observations of aspects of daily life …Will Manley

Examples of fly on the wall in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun phrase
Ever wanted to be a fly on the wall in your favorite celebrity’s groupchat? Kyra Surgent, InStyle, 9 Apr. 2026 Love Is Blind fans can be a fly on the wall of the dating scene in Poland to see if the singles looking for a match will find one. Time Staff, Time, 4 May 2026
Adjective
Dinerstein calls his show a fly-on-the-wall documentary series. Peter White, Deadline, 28 Jan. 2026 Third-person narratives, on the other hand, tell stories from the fly-on-the-wall perspective, introducing a cast of characters and their relationships. Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for fly on the wall

Word History

First Known Use

Noun Phrase

1927, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1943, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fly on the wall was in 1927

Browse Nearby Words

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fly on the wall.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fly%20on%20the%20wall. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster