EAVESDROPPER

Pronunciation (US): (GB):

Meaning:

A secret listener to private conversations

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("eavesdropper" is a kind of...):

attender; auditor; hearer; listener (someone who listens attentively)

snoop; snooper (a spy who makes uninvited inquiries into the private affairs of others)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "eavesdropper"):

phone tapper; tapper; wiretapper (someone who wiretaps a telephone or telegraph wire)

Derivation:

eavesdrop (listen without the speaker's knowledge)