Meanings
nouneavesdropper (plural eavesdroppers)
plural eavesdroppers
- One who eavesdrops.
- slanggovernmentA surveillance aircraft.
[…] the Japanese Ministry of Defence rang the bell and informed the world's press about the Tokyo Express — the ironic Japanese nickname for the constant flow of Soviet flying eavesdroppers in Japanese airspace.
1986, Dick Van Der Aart, Aerial Espionage: Secret Intelligence Flights by East and West, page 96
Origin
From eavesdrop + -er (“person or thing which does”).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ὠτακουστής
- ὠτακουστής (ōtakoustḗs)one who eavesdrops
Czech odposlouchávající
- odposlouchávajícíone who eavesdrops
Dutch luistervink, afluisteraar
- luistervinkone who eavesdrops
- afluisteraarone who eavesdrops
German Lauscher
- Lauscherone who eavesdrops
Greek ωτακουστής
- ωτακουστής (otakoustís)one who eavesdrops
Italian uditore, ascoltatore
- uditoreone who eavesdrops
- ascoltatoreone who eavesdrops
- spioneone who eavesdrops
Polish podsłuchiwacz, podsłuchiwaczka
- podsłuchiwaczone who eavesdrops
- podsłuchiwaczkaone who eavesdrops
Russian согляда́тай
- согляда́тай (sogljadátaj)one who eavesdrops
Swedish tjuvlyssnare
- tjuvlyssnareone who eavesdrops
Vietnamese người nghe lén, người nghe trộm
- người nghe lénone who eavesdrops
- người nghe trộmone who eavesdrops
Cite this entry
APA
eavesdropper. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/eavesdropper
MLA
“eavesdropper.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/eavesdropper. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “eavesdropper,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/eavesdropper.
Source: eavesdropper on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.