Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
eavesdropper

eavesdropper

4 6.1
A person who secretly listens to other people's private conversations
  • noun
  • /ˈivzˌdrɒpər/
translation icon : espía
  • The man looked about nervously, as if checking for eavesdroppers.

Examples

  • The eavesdropper hid behind the curtains to listen to their private conversation.

  • Julian glanced out after him to make sure there were no eavesdroppers lurking.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Some little eavesdropper on my party line.

    Pillow Talk (1959)

  • I was a kind of eavesdropper, really.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • So what do you do to protect yourself against outside eavesdroppers, especially now, when you are going public?

    Pursued (2004)

  • Neither the seated man nor anyone else in the area seemed to take any notice of this peculiar eavesdropper.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • "Are you worried about eavesdroppers?" she asked Humphries.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Cherisse went to the office door and checked outside for eavesdroppers.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • She felt like an eavesdropper when she overheard her friends talking about her surprise party.

  • In the movie, the eavesdropper was caught listening in on the villains' plans.

Synonyms

snoop
vseavesdropper
26 7.4

A person who secretly looks for other people's private information

is mainly about secretly listening not general information searching
snooper
vseavesdropper
3 7.4

A person who secretly tries to find out about other people's private things

is focused on secretly listening rather than broad intrusive investigation
wiretapper
vseavesdropper
1 8.6

A person who secretly listens to other people's phone calls with a hidden device

is used for secret listening in any place not limited to communication lines
tapper
vseavesdropper
  • Archaic
1 8.9

A person who secretly listens to other people's phone calls

is general secret listening that need not involve attaching devices to lines
phone tapper
vseavesdropper
8.9

A person who secretly listens to other people's phone calls

is more general and used for secret listening beyond telephone connections

How Secret

spy
623 2.9
wiretapper
1 8.6
eavesdropper
4 6.1
snooper
3 7.4

Surface Forms

eavesdropper singular
eavesdroppers plural

Morphology

eavesdropper = eavesdrop (opaque) = eaves + drop + er

The noun 'eavesdropper' is a regular agent noun formed from 'eavesdrop' plus '-er'.

Etymology

Eavesdropper comes from people who used to stand under the eaves (the 'edge of a roof') where rain would drop, so they could quietly hear private talks without being seen. That's why an eavesdropper is someone who secretly listens to other people's conversations.