What does eavesdropped mean?
'Eavesdropped' is the past tense and past participle of the verb 'eavesdrop', meaning to listen secretly to other people's conversation without their knowledge or permission. The verb almost always takes the preposition 'on' — one eavesdrops on a conversation, a phone call, or a meeting — and it typically carries a negative connotation, suggesting prying, intrusion, or a breach of privacy rather than innocent listening. It sits in contrast to 'overheard', which describes hearing something by accident; eavesdropping implies deliberate intent. The word's history is vividly literal: it derives from Old English 'efes', meaning the edge of a roof or overhanging eaves, where someone standing outside a house would be close enough to hear voices inside while sheltered beneath the overhang. Today it appears frequently in discussions of privacy, surveillance, journalism, and espionage, and its noun forms — 'eavesdropper' and 'eavesdropping' — remain common in both legal and everyday contexts.
verb (past tense and past participle of 'eavesdrop')Past tense and past participle of 'eavesdrop': to listen secretly to other people's conversation without their knowledge or consent.
- To listen secretly or covertly to other people's private conversation.
"She eavesdropped on the meeting from the hallway outside the boardroom."
"He eavesdropped on his parents' argument from behind the kitchen door."
"The journalist admitted she had eavesdropped on sources at a crowded press conference."
The word literally means hiding under the 'eaves' of a house to catch rainwater drips — and the gossip falling with them.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of eavesdropped
'Eavesdropped' comes from the verb 'eavesdrop', which arose from the Middle English compound 'evesdrop', literally 'one who stands within the eaves-drop of a house' — the ground on which water drips from the roof's overhang, close enough to the walls to hear what is said inside. The root 'eaves' traces back to Old English 'efes', meaning the edge or overhang of a roof. The verb took on its modern sense of secretly listening to private conversation around the late 16th century.
Related word forms
How eavesdropped is actually used
Register-neutral but often carries a negative connotation, implying intrusion into privacy. Almost always followed by the preposition 'on'. The simple past and past participle forms are identical.
Easily confused with eavesdropped
To overhear something is to hear it by chance without intending to, whereas to eavesdrop is to deliberately and secretly listen to others' private conversation.