eavesdrop

Meanings

Verb

• To hear a conversation one is not intended to hear; to listen in.
• To listen for another organism's calls, so as to exploit them.

Noun

• The dripping of rain from the eaves of a house.
• The space around a house on which such water drips.
• A concealed aperture through which an occupant of a building can surreptitiously listen to people talking at an entrance to the building.
• The act of intentionally hearing a conversation not intended to be heard.

Related

Similar words

• overhear
• eavesdrip

Origin

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