Dictionary

eavesdrop en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• (Australia) audio
• /ˈivzˌdɹɑp/ (US)
• /ˈiːvzˌdɹɒp/ (UK)

Etymology

From eaves + drop; the "listening" sense derives from the notion of the listener standing in the area denoted by the physical sense.

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) The dripping of rain from the eaves of a house.
2. (countable, uncountable) The space around a house on which such water drips.
3. (countable) A concealed aperture through which an occupant of a building can surreptitiously listen to people talking at an entrance to the building.
4. (countable) The act of intentionally hearing a conversation not intended to be heard.
   • Were you having a little eavesdrop on us last night?

Forms

Synonyms

eavesdrip

Translations (9)

de Trauflinie (space around a house on which such water drips) · fr chéneau (space around a house on which such water drips) · it sgocciolatoio (space around a house on which such water drips) · it sgocciolatoio (dripping of rain from the eaves of a house) · de lauschen (concealed aperture through which an occupant can surreptitiously listen to people) · de Traufe (space around a house on which such water drips) · bg капчук (dripping of rain from the eaves of a house) · fi räystäänalunen (space around a house on which such water drips) · it sgocciolio (dripping of rain from the eaves of a house)

eavesdrop en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• (Australia) audio
• /ˈivzˌdɹɑp/ (US)
• /ˈiːvzˌdɹɒp/ (UK)

Etymology

From eaves + drop; the "listening" sense derives from the notion of the listener standing in the area denoted by the physical sense.

Meanings

1. (ambitransitive) To hear (intentionally) a conversation one is not intended to hear; to listen in.
   • You shouldn't eavesdrop, David. I told you: You'll only hear things you'll wish you hadn't. 1999 February 3, Anthony Horowitz et al., “Strangler's Wood”, in Midsomer Murders:
   • I hope nobody was eavesdropping on our conversation last night, since it got so personal.
2. To listen for another organism's calls, so as to exploit them.
   • […] Eastern Red Bat will eavesdrop on the sonar calls of other red bats to locate potential insect prey. 1993, David W. Nagorsen, Robert Mark Brigham, Royal British Columbia Museum, Bats of British Columbia, page 109:
   • Frog-biting midges also depend on eavesdropping for reproduction, and one would predict similarly strong selection to evolve auditory adaptations for hearing and localizing calls of their hosts. 2014, Ken Yasukawa, Animal Behavior: How and Why Animals Do the Things They Do:

Forms

Deriveds

eavesdropper · eavesread

Hypernyms

overhear (hear conversation one is not intended to hear)

Relateds

wiretap · tap · monitor · surveil

Translations (73)

pt ouvir/escutar escondido (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · hy թաքուն լսել (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · es escuchar escondidamente (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · da smuglytte (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · eo subaŭskulti (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · th ดักฟัง (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · ast tresoyer (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · no tjuvlytte (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · ja 立ち聞きする (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · ga cúléist (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · pl podsłuchać (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · fr être aux écoutes (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · es escuchar cautelosamente (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · cs odposlechnout (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · mi whakarongo kōrero (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · cmn 聽牆根 /听墙根 (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · de abhören (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · it origliare (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · ko 엿듣다 (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · mk прислушкува (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · fr écouter discrètement (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · gv cooyl-eaisht (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · es escuchar disimuladamente (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · pl podsłuchiwać (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · hi अनकना (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · de lauschen (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · cs odposlouchávat (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · nl afluisteren (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · hu kihallgat (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · gd dèan farchluais (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · fr écouter secrètement (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · hu lehallgat (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · es escuchar furtivamente (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · da lytte (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · bg подслу́швам (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · fa استراق سمع کردن (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · no overhøre (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · hy ականջ դնել (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · cmn 偷聽 /偷听 (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · ast esclucar (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · gv eaisht gyn yss (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · fa فالگوش ایستادن (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · yue 偷聽 /偷听 (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · hy ականջ կախել (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · ar تَنَصَّتَ (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · de zuhören (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · vi nghe lén (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · nl luistervinken (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · de belauschen (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · mk прислушува (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · cmn 竊聽 /窃听 (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · sk načúvať (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · fi salakuunnella (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · da aflytte (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · ru подслу́шивать (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · he צוֹתֵת (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · el κρυφακούω (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · tr kulak misafiri olmak (overhear) (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · fa شنود (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · sk odpočúvať (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · ru подслу́шать (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · hu hallgatózik (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · sh prisluškivati (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · es escuchar recatadamente (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · no tyvlytte (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · km លួចស្ដាប់ (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · ro trage cu urechea (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · ar تَسَمَّعَ (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · tr kulak kabartmak (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · ny -ba mawu (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · sv tjuvlyssna (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · vi nghe trộm (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear) · de horchen (to hear a conversation one is not intended to hear)