eavesdropped (on)

past tense of eavesdrop (on)
as in listened in (on)
to listen to (another in private conversation) a nosy traveler who likes to eavesdrop on his fellow airline passengers

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for eavesdropped (on)
Verb
  • Strategic reserves would also have to be protected, monitored and replenished.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 30 Oct. 2026
  • As i4cp research analyst Katheryn Brekken explained, employees who know they’re being monitored may resort to performative behaviors, such as jiggling their mouse to appear active, rather than focusing on meaningful work.
    — Adithyan RK, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The committee heard substantial evidence that construction workers had smoked on site, and several cigarette butts and some partially burned materials, such as cardboard boxes, were found on the flat roof.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Someone in the area can be heard using whistles, a tool that some activists have employed to alert people when ICE is in the area.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • One of the most powerful conceits in the book occurs when the two leave an airport venue and readers get the perspective of a person who served or overheard them.
    — Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026
  • With the festival’s first weekend coinciding with the Brazilian presidential elections, almost every conversation overheard at RioMarket during the event’s early days was intertwined with politics.
    — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • At a press conference yesterday NASA presented its preliminary findings, which touch on everything from the moon’s surprisingly colorful craters to a series of curious flashes that the astronauts spied in lunar shadows.
    — Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The tourists, having sent home seven players and their coaching staff mid-series, made four changes but really only spied solace in the performance of Razaullah Khan, one of three debutants.
    — Paul Newman, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Eavesdropped (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/eavesdropped%20%28on%29. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

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