Definition of "eavesdrop" []

• To listen secretly to the private conversation of others. (verb-intransitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Oops--I didn't meant that I thought it was bad to "eavesdrop"---because I do that on a regular basis."
• "Today, the NSA’s capability to eavesdrop is far beyond anything ever dreamed of by Justice Brandeis."
• "Yes, the telephone companies were told by the Bush/Cheney administration they were to 'eavesdrop' on their customers in February 2001, only Qwest refused and they lost a very lucrative government contract as a result, plus their CEO was found guilty of insider trading because he sold a block of his stock when this occurred."