eavesdrop
Pronunciation: /ˈiːvzˌdɹɒp/
The English word “eavesdrop” has 6 meanings listed here.
verb
- To hear (intentionally) a conversation one is not intended to hear; to listen in.
- To listen for another organism's calls, so as to exploit them.
noun
- The dripping of rain from the eaves of a house.
- The space around a house on which such water drips.
- A concealed aperture through which an occupant of a building can surreptitiously listen to people talking at an entrance to the building.
- The act of intentionally hearing a conversation not intended to be heard.
Etymology
From eaves + drop; the "listening" sense derives from the notion of the listener standing in the area denoted by the physical sense.
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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.