eavesdrop
[ eevz-drop ]
verb (used without object),eaves·dropped, eaves·drop·ping.
to listen secretly to a private conversation.
verb (used with object),eaves·dropped, eaves·drop·ping.
Archaic. to eavesdrop on.
nounAlso eaves·drip [eevz-drip]. /ˈivzˌdrɪp/.
water that drips from the eaves.
the ground on which such water falls.
Origin of eavesdrop
1Other words from eavesdrop
- eavesdropper, noun
- an·ti·eaves·drop·ping, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for eavesdrop
eavesdrop
/ (ˈiːvzˌdrɒp) /
verb-drops, -dropping or -dropped
(intr) to listen secretly to the private conversation of others
Origin of eavesdrop
1C17: back formation from earlier evesdropper, from Old English yfesdrype water dripping from the eaves; see eaves, drop; compare Old Norse upsardropi
Derived forms of eavesdrop
- eavesdropper, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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