eavesdrops (on)

present tense third-person singular of eavesdrop (on)
as in listens 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 eavesdrops (on)
Verb
  • Leaders, therefore, need clarity about who owns the technology and data, who controls access, who monitors risk and who has authority to make consequential decisions.
    — Chandini Sheeba, Forbes.com, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Amazon said its threat intelligence team had detected attempts to exploit the vulnerabilities before they were publicly disclosed, using its MadPot threat detection system, which monitors suspicious activity across internet-facing infrastructure.
    — Jenny Lee, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • One morning at school, Frida spies bruises on Elia’s back and overhears her and Emmanuel talking about having been disciplined by their parents.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Late one night, Clark spies what appears to be a sliver of light coming through a crack in the wall of the store’s basement.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 14 June 2026
Verb
  • Deadline hears that the BBC has held tentative discussions about whether Sounds could be folded in with iPlayer to create a single streaming service for video and audio, not unlike Netflix and YouTube.
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Her 7-year-old hears the conversations around her, sees the protests in her community and notices the visiting canal personnel.
    — Hira Humayun, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 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

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

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