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eavesdrop
" Enterprising law-enforcement officers with a warrant can flick a distant switch and turn a standard mobile phone into a roving mic or eavesdrop on occupants of cars equipped with travel assistance systems."
Jonathan Zittrain

Meaning of "eavesdrop" in the English dictionary

DICTIONARY

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD EAVESDROP

Back formation from earlier evesdropper, from Old English yfesdrype water dripping from the eaves.
Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF EAVESDROP

ˈiːvzˌdrɒp


GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF EAVESDROP

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Eavesdrop is a verb.
The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb eavesdrop in English.

WHAT DOES EAVESDROP MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Eavesdropping

Eavesdropping is secretly listening to the private conversation of others without their consent, as defined by Black's Law Dictionary. This is commonly thought to be unethical and there is an old adage that "eavesdroppers seldom hear anything good of themselves...eavesdroppers always try to listen to matters that concern them."...

Definition of eavesdrop in the English dictionary

The definition of eavesdrop in the dictionary is to listen secretly to the private conversation of others.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO EAVESDROP

PRESENT

Present
I eavesdrop
you eavesdrop
he/she/it eavesdrops
we eavesdrop
you eavesdrop
they eavesdrop
Present continuous
I am eavesdropping
you are eavesdropping
he/she/it is eavesdropping
we are eavesdropping
you are eavesdropping
they are eavesdropping
Present perfect
I have eavesdropped
you have eavesdropped
he/she/it has eavesdropped
we have eavesdropped
you have eavesdropped
they have eavesdropped
Present perfect continuous
I have been eavesdropping
you have been eavesdropping
he/she/it has been eavesdropping
we have been eavesdropping
you have been eavesdropping
they have been eavesdropping
Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past
I eavesdropped
you eavesdropped
he/she/it eavesdropped
we eavesdropped
you eavesdropped
they eavesdropped
Past continuous
I was eavesdropping
you were eavesdropping
he/she/it was eavesdropping
we were eavesdropping
you were eavesdropping
they were eavesdropping
Past perfect
I had eavesdropped
you had eavesdropped
he/she/it had eavesdropped
we had eavesdropped
you had eavesdropped
they had eavesdropped
Past perfect continuous
I had been eavesdropping
you had been eavesdropping
he/she/it had been eavesdropping
we had been eavesdropping
you had been eavesdropping
they had been eavesdropping
Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future
I will eavesdrop
you will eavesdrop
he/she/it will eavesdrop
we will eavesdrop
you will eavesdrop
they will eavesdrop
Future continuous
I will be eavesdropping
you will be eavesdropping
he/she/it will be eavesdropping
we will be eavesdropping
you will be eavesdropping
they will be eavesdropping
Future perfect
I will have eavesdropped
you will have eavesdropped
he/she/it will have eavesdropped
we will have eavesdropped
you will have eavesdropped
they will have eavesdropped
Future perfect continuous
I will have been eavesdropping
you will have been eavesdropping
he/she/it will have been eavesdropping
we will have been eavesdropping
you will have been eavesdropping
they will have been eavesdropping
The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional
I would eavesdrop
you would eavesdrop
he/she/it would eavesdrop
we would eavesdrop
you would eavesdrop
they would eavesdrop
Conditional continuous
I would be eavesdropping
you would be eavesdropping
he/she/it would be eavesdropping
we would be eavesdropping
you would be eavesdropping
they would be eavesdropping
Conditional perfect
I would have eavesdrop
you would have eavesdrop
he/she/it would have eavesdrop
we would have eavesdrop
you would have eavesdrop
they would have eavesdrop
Conditional perfect continuous
I would have been eavesdropping
you would have been eavesdropping
he/she/it would have been eavesdropping
we would have been eavesdropping
you would have been eavesdropping
they would have been eavesdropping
Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative
you eavesdrop
we let´s eavesdrop
you eavesdrop
The imperative is used to form commands or requests.
NONFINITE VERB FORMS
Infinitive
to eavesdrop
Past participle
eavesdropped
Present Participle
eavesdropping
Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH EAVESDROP

airdrop · backdrop · bedrop · dewdrop · drop · eardrop · gumdrop · name-drop · pandrop · paradrop · raindrop · snowdrop · teardrop

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE EAVESDROP

eating · eating apple · eating disorder · eating habits · eating house · eating place · eats · EAU · eau de Cologne · eau de Javelle · eau de nil · eau de toilette · eau de vie · eave · eaves · eavesdrip · eavesdropped · eavesdropper · eavesdropping · eavestrough

WORDS THAT END LIKE EAVESDROP

acid drop · chocolate drop · cough drop · dead letter drop · delayed drop · drag and drop · fruit drop · knee drop · lemon drop · mail drop · parachute drop · Prince Rupert´s drop · wrist-drop

Synonyms and antonyms of eavesdrop in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

SYNONYMS OF «EAVESDROP»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «eavesdrop» and belong to the same grammatical category.
bug · earwig · listen in · overhear · pry · snoop · spy

Translation of «eavesdrop» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR

TRANSLATION OF EAVESDROP

Find out the translation of eavesdrop to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of eavesdrop from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «eavesdrop» in English.
zh

Translator English - Chinese

窃听
1,325 millions of speakers
es

Translator English - Spanish

escuchar indiscretamente
570 millions of speakers
en

English

eavesdrop
510 millions of speakers
hi

Translator English - Hindi

छिपकर बातें सुनना
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

التنصت
280 millions of speakers
ru

Translator English - Russian

подслушивать
278 millions of speakers
pt

Translator English - Portuguese

bisbilhotar
270 millions of speakers
bn

Translator English - Bengali

আড়ি পেতে শোনা
260 millions of speakers
fr

Translator English - French

écouter
220 millions of speakers
ms

Translator English - Malay

Pendengaran
190 millions of speakers
de

Translator English - German

lauschen
180 millions of speakers
ja

Translator English - Japanese

盗み聞きする
130 millions of speakers
ko

Translator English - Korean

엿듣다
85 millions of speakers
jv

Translator English - Javanese

Eavesdrop
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

rình
80 millions of speakers
ta

Translator English - Tamil

ஒட்டுக்கேட்கவும்
75 millions of speakers
mr

Translator English - Marathi

चोरूण
75 millions of speakers
tr

Translator English - Turkish

gizlice dinlemek
70 millions of speakers
it

Translator English - Italian

spiare
65 millions of speakers
pl

Translator English - Polish

podsłuchiwać
50 millions of speakers
uk

Translator English - Ukrainian

підслуховувати
40 millions of speakers
ro

Translator English - Romanian

trage cu urechea
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

αφουγκράζομαι
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

afluister
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

avlyssna
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

tyvlytte
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of eavesdrop

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «EAVESDROP»

Principal search tendencies and common uses of eavesdrop
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «eavesdrop».

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about eavesdrop

EXAMPLES

8 QUOTES WITH «EAVESDROP»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word eavesdrop.
1
Lynda Barry
If I didn't try to eavesdrop on every bus ride I take or look for the humor when I go for a walk, I would just be depressed all the time.
2
Sherrod Brown
The president overstepped his authority when he asked the NSA to eavesdrop on Americans' international phone calls without obtaining a warrant.
3
Meg Cabot
I wish I had taken Spanish instead of French in high school. I could eavesdrop on a lot more conversations on the subway if I knew Spanish.
4
Janet Evanovich
I go to bars and restaurants, and I sit and I eavesdrop on people and I watch people in shopping centers and, you know, I read the newspapers and I talk to the Trenton cops, and I just get a lot of information that comes in that somehow turns into a book.
5
Mindy Kaling
Sometimes I eavesdrop on people. I could rationalize it - oh, this is good anthropological research for characters I'm writing - but it's basically just nosiness. It also helps me gauge where I'm at: Am I normal?
6
Helen Thomas
President Bush has asserted the right to wiretap and eavesdrop on any American without a warrant in the name of fighting terrorism. He has asserted presidential power beyond stated constitutional rights, and there is no Republican gutsy enough to call his hand.
7
Rachel Weisz
I think I'm very curious about other people. I like to sit and eavesdrop, you know.
8
Jonathan Zittrain
Enterprising law-enforcement officers with a warrant can flick a distant switch and turn a standard mobile phone into a roving mic or eavesdrop on occupants of cars equipped with travel assistance systems.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «EAVESDROP»

Discover the use of eavesdrop in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to eavesdrop and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
My Eavesdrop Station
Granny Pat moves in and becomes their surrogate grandmother, transforming their lives. Over the next 28 years, this novel covers the good times and the bad.
P. R. Roberts, 2010
2
Eavesdrop Soup
In this outrageous second volume of amazing poetry, quick-witted spoken word slam champ Matt Cook tackles science ("Static Electricity"), geography ("Pittsburgh"), and death ("Oblong Strongboxes"), among other topics.
Matt Cook, 2005
3
Never Eavesdrop on Your Friends - They Might Be Laughing At You!
If you are taking life too seriously or just need a good laugh, you will want to read this book!
Jean A. P. Reed, 2005
4
Body of Secrets: How America's NSA and Britain's GCHQ ...
In BODY OF SECRETS he offers shocking new details about the inner workings of the agency, gathered through unique access to thousands of internal documents and interviews with current and former officials.
James Bamford, 2002
5
Cases Decided in the Court of Session
Property — Servitude.— Circumstances in which a right of eavesdrop was found tt>"°ck. noito prevent a conterminous proprietor building on the space on which the drop fell. Pollock, the proprietor of certain subjects in the Gorbals of Glasgow,  ...
Scotland. Court of Session, 1832
6
Eavesdrop
A collection of fragmented conversation overheard in New York City's public spaces presented as typographic illustrations. All imagery was originally sculpted in plasticine, photographed and digitally silhouetted for print.
Women's Studio Workshop, 2013
7
Computer Networking for LANS to WANS: Hardware, Software and ...
These vulnerabilities either interfere with the ability of the media to provide uninterrupted communication or enable a third party to eavesdrop on the communications. Both vulnerabilities have security considerations as reliable and private ...
Kenneth Mansfield, Jr., James Antonakos, 2009
8
Shaun Groves: Invitation to Eavesdrop
Invitation to Eavesdrop was the debut project of singer/songwriter Shaun Groves. This album-matching folio includes all the songs in this punchy album that brought the talented artist six Dove Award nominations in 2002.
Shaun Groves, 2004
9
Popular Mechanics
New inexpensive shortwave receivers open up a world of excitement when you tune in from your own home listening post. by Carmine W. Prestia Jr., WB3ADI Eavesdrop on the world with these hot new receivers Exotic music from the Orient , ...
10
Scenarios: Models, Transformations and Tools: International ...
If the intruder has eavesdropping capabilities, as stated in the eavesdrop rule he can learn the message during transmission. The deflect rule states that an intruder with deflection capabilities can delete any message from the output buffer.
Stefan Leue, Tarja J. Systä, 2005

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «EAVESDROP»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term eavesdrop is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Defense secretary to renew call for cooperation with tech industry
The government wants encryption keys so that law enforcement and spy agencies can eavesdrop on secure communications if needed, but the ... «Computerworld, Jul 15»
2
FBI Boss: Your Crypto Is Confusing to Me
Using encryption, Comey said, persons of interest could “go dark” and communicate without law enforcement being able to eavesdrop. He was ... «Daily Beast, Jul 15»
3
What's it like visiting the set of a TV show? We dropped by The …
No one sits next to me, so I eavesdrop on the conversations around me, learning how journalists on this kind of beat operate. Many of them ... «A.V. Club, Jul 15»
4
US needs a new electronic identity-protection strategy to prevent …
... this information to compromise their personal phones and computers, track their movements and eavesdrop on their private communications. «Global Security, Jul 15»
5
Playfully giddy 'Much Ado' full of mirth at Ohio Shakespeare Festival
... parts it and sticks his head through it to overhear the men's conversation and dives head-first through a window in his efforts to “eavesdrop.”. «Akron Beacon Journal, Jul 15»
6
For Arab Human Rights Defenders, Hacking Team Files Confirm …
... passwords typed into a web browser, and even turn on and eavesdrop via a computer's webcam. Hacking Team technologies have become ... «Global Voices Online, Jul 15»
7
The riff: seats of learning
Some participants were designated as “listeners”, with a mandate to eavesdrop on the discussion and report back rather than take part. «Financial Times, Jul 15»
8
The Upload: Your tech news briefing for Wednesday, July 8
... views follow a call from FBI director James Comey for “robust debate” about the use of encryption by people on whom he'd like to eavesdrop. «ITworld, Jul 15»
9
Video: President Obama calls World Cup-winning US women's …
Hey, anybody want to eavesdrop on a government phone call? The White House's Twitter account made it possible, posting a video Tuesday of ... «New York Daily News, Jul 15»
10
Scientists Have Discovered How to Trick Mosquitoes to Stop Biting us
Behaviors are more likely to occur as the message gets 'louder'—and that makes it easy for other organisms to eavesdrop on the bacterial chatter.”. «NextShark, Jul 15»
REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Eavesdrop [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/eavesdrop>. May 2024 ».
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