To eavesdrop is to listen secretly to a conversation that is not meant for you.
What Does Eavesdrop Mean?
If you eavesdrop, you are listening on purpose to something private. Maybe you are pressing your ear to a door, or standing very quietly behind a sofa.
Mia's little sister was eavesdropping outside the kitchen, hoping to find out what the birthday present was.
The odd part is the weather. This word did not start with ears or secrets. It started with rain dripping off a roof.
🔊 Pronunciation
EEVZ-drop
The stress is on the first part. The first part sounds like leaves without the L: EEVZ. Then say drop.
The person is an eavesdropper: EEVZ-drop-er.
🗣️ Natural Examples
I wasn't trying to eavesdrop, but the walls at our campsite are made of tent.
Please don't eavesdrop on other people's phone calls.
The cat eavesdropped on our plans, then sat on the map.
Sam was caught eavesdropping outside the staff room.
The detective hid behind the curtain to eavesdrop on the suspects.
🛠️ How to Use It
Eavesdrop is a common word, used in everyday speech and writing. It is usually a bit negative, because listening in on private talk is not very polite.
- As a verb, it takes on: eavesdrop on someone or eavesdrop on a conversation.
- Past tense: eavesdropped, with two P's. She eavesdropped on the call.
- The -ing form: eavesdropping. Stop eavesdropping!
- The person: an eavesdropper. The eavesdropper was a very small parrot.
🤝 Common Word Partners
- eavesdrop on a conversation
- eavesdrop on someone
- caught eavesdropping
- an eavesdropper
- a nosy eavesdropper
👯 Similar and Related Words
- overhear: to hear something by accident. You don't try, and it just reaches your ears.
- listen in: to listen to a conversation or call that you are not part of. It can be quiet or open.
- snoop: to look or ask around in private things. It's about nosiness, not just listening.
- spy: to watch or listen in secret, usually for a serious reason. It sounds bigger than eavesdrop.
The big difference is purpose. You overhear by accident, and you eavesdrop on purpose.
⚠️ Common Mistakes
Don't forget the second P.
❌ She eavesdroped on us.
✅ She eavesdropped on us.
Use "on".
❌ He eavesdropped the conversation.
✅ He eavesdropped on the conversation.
Accident or on purpose? Pick the word that matches what happened.
✅ I overheard two people in the lift. (an accident)
✅ I eavesdropped on two people in the lift. (on purpose)
💬 In a Conversation
Sam: Why are you standing next to the door?
Mia: I'm not eavesdropping.
Sam: Your ear is touching the door.
Mia: Then I'm eavesdropping a little.
Sam: What can you hear?
Mia: Mostly the fridge.
🕵️ Where Does It Come From?
The word comes from eaves, the edge of a roof that hangs out over a wall. When it rains, water drips off the eaves onto the ground below.
In Old English there was a word, yfesdrype, for that dripping place. It was made from eave and the word drip, and it named the place around a house where rainwater drips off the roof.
From about the 1400s, an eavesdropper was a person who stood near the walls or windows of a house to hear what was being said inside. The verb eavesdrop came later, around 1600, and was made from that noun. So in English the person came first and the verb second.
Like petrichor, another word about rain, eavesdrop shows how everyday weather can end up inside a word.
💡 The OddLingo Trick
Picture a roof in the rain. Raindrops fall from the eaves.
Now picture someone standing underneath, catching the drops of words that fall from inside the house.
That is an eavesdropper: eaves plus drop.