Eavesdrop

When you eavesdrop, you secretly listen in on someone's conversation. A little girl might eavesdrop on her parents in an attempt to find out what she's getting for her birthday.

• Pronunciation: /'iːvzdrɒp/
• English Description: to deliberately listen secretly to other people's conversations
• Chinese Translation: v. 窃听(Qie4 Ting1)
• Spanish Translation: Escuchar
• STORY: Whenever you deliberately overhear a phone conversation, or two people having a quiet argument, you eavesdrop. You might eavesdrop on a funny exchange between two friends at a cafe, or eavesdrop on an important conversation between your boss and one of your coworkers. The verb eavesdropcomes from the old-fashioned noun eavesdropper, "one who listens from under the eaves," from the even more old-fashioned eavesdrop, "ground where rainwater drips off the roof."

EXAMPLE SENTENCE:

• They eavesdrop on the noises that other birds make while hiding food in order to steal the stash later, new research shows— Science Magazine (Nov 21, 2014)
• There was Helena eavesdropping outside the door.