eavesdrop

verb

/ˈiːvzˌdɹɒp/UK/ˈivzˌdɹɑp/US

Etymology

From eaves + drop; the "listening" sense derives from the notion of the listener standing in the area denoted by the physical sense.

derived from *dʰrebʰ-✻ — “to drip, drop”
inherited from *drupô✻ — “drop (of liquid)”
inherited from *dropō✻ — “drop (of liquid)”
inherited from dropa — “a drop”
inherited from drope — “small quantity of liquid; small or least amount of something; pendant jewel; dripping of a liquid; a shower; nasal flow, catarrh; speck, spot; blemish; disease causing spots on the skin”
inherited from droppe
compounded as eavesdrop — “eaves + drop”

1
To hear (intentionally) a conversation one is not intended to hear
To hear (intentionally) a conversation one is not intended to hear; to listen in.
- I hope nobody was eavesdropping on our conversation last night, since it got so personal.
2
To listen for another organism's calls, so as to exploit them.
- […] Eastern Red Bat will eavesdrop on the sonar calls of other red bats to locate potential insect prey.
- Frog-biting midges also depend on eavesdropping for reproduction, and one would predict similarly strong selection to evolve auditory adaptations for hearing and localizing calls of their hosts.
The dripping of rain from the eaves of a house.
›+ 3 more definitionsshow fewer
1. The space around a house on which such water drips.
2. A concealed aperture through which an occupant of a building can surreptitiously listen…
  A concealed aperture through which an occupant of a building can surreptitiously listen to people talking at an entrance to the building.
3. 6
  The act of intentionally hearing a conversation not intended to be heard.
  - Were you having a little eavesdrop on us last night?

No curated loop yet for eavesdrop. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA