Meanings
nouneavesdropping (countable and uncountable, plural eavesdroppings)
plural eavesdroppings
- verbal noun of eavesdrop:
- countableuncountableListening secretly to the private conversations of others.
1 more example
The detective kept them in view. He made his way casually along the inside of the shelter until he reached an open scuttle close to where the two men were standing talking. Eavesdropping was not a thing Larard would have practised from choice, but there were times when, in the public interest, he had to do it, and this was one of them.
1928, Lawrence R. Bourne, chapter 7, in Well Tackled!, →OL - countableuncountablecommunicationsThe interception of electronic communication.
verb
- gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of eavesdrop
Synonyms & antonyms
Similar
Origin
Translations
Arabic تَنَصُّت, اِسْتِرَاق سَمْع
- تَنَصُّت (tanaṣṣut)listening secretly to the private conversations of others
- اِسْتِرَاق سَمْع (istirāq samʕ)listening secretly to the private conversations of others
- تَنَصُّت (tanaṣṣut)interception of electronic communication
Chinese Mandarin 竊聽 /窃听, 竊聽 /窃听
- 竊聽 /窃听 (qiètīng)listening secretly to the private conversations of others
- 竊聽 /窃听 (qiètīng)interception of electronic communication
Finnish salakuuntelu, salakuuntelu
- salakuuntelulistening secretly to the private conversations of others
- salakuunteluinterception of electronic communication
French écoute clandestine
- écoute clandestineinterception of electronic communication
German Lauschen, Abhören
- Lauschenlistening secretly to the private conversations of others
- Abhörenlistening secretly to the private conversations of others
- Abhöreninterception of electronic communication
Greek κρυφάκουσμα, λαθρακρόαση
- κρυφάκουσμα (kryfákousma)listening secretly to the private conversations of others
- λαθρακρόαση (lathrakróasi)listening secretly to the private conversations of others
- ωτακουστία (otakoustía)listening secretly to the private conversations of others
Hungarian hallgatózás
- hallgatózáslistening secretly to the private conversations of others
Italian origliamento, l'origliare
- origliamentolistening secretly to the private conversations of others
- l'origliarelistening secretly to the private conversations of others
- ascolto di nascostolistening secretly to the private conversations of others
- intercettazione telefonicainterception of electronic communication
- intercettazione comuncazioniinterception of electronic communication
Japanese 盗聴, 盗聴
- 盗聴 (tōchō)listening secretly to the private conversations of others
- 盗聴 (tōchō)interception of electronic communication
Korean 엿듣다, 도청
- 엿듣다 (yeotdeutda)listening secretly to the private conversations of others
- 도청 (docheong)interception of electronic communication
Persian استراق سمع, استراق سمع
- استراق سمع (esterâq-e sam')listening secretly to the private conversations of others
- استراق سمع (esterâq-e sam')interception of electronic communication
Polish podsłuchiwanie, podsłuchanie
- podsłuchiwanielistening secretly to the private conversations of others
- podsłuchanielistening secretly to the private conversations of others
- podsłuchiwanieinterception of electronic communication
- podsłuchinterception of electronic communication
Romanian trage cu urechea, interceptare
- trage cu urechealistening secretly to the private conversations of others
- interceptareinterception of electronic communication
Russian подслу́шивание, подслу́шивание
- подслу́шивание (podslúšivanije)listening secretly to the private conversations of others
- подслу́шивание (podslúšivanije)interception of electronic communication
- перехва́т (perexvát)interception of electronic communication
- прослу́шка (proslúška)interception of electronic communication
Scottish Gaelic farchluais
- farchluaislistening secretly to the private conversations of others
Swedish tjuvlyssning, avlyssning
- tjuvlyssninglistening secretly to the private conversations of others
- avlyssninginterception of electronic communication
Ukrainian підслухо́вування, підслу́хування
- підслухо́вування (pidsluxóvuvannja)listening secretly to the private conversations of others
- підслу́хування (pidslúxuvannja)listening secretly to the private conversations of others
- прослухо́вування (prosluxóvuvannja)listening secretly to the private conversations of others
Cite this entry
APA
eavesdropping. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/eavesdropping
MLA
“eavesdropping.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/eavesdropping. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “eavesdropping,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/eavesdropping.
Source: eavesdropping on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.