Spyware

noun

noun ·2 syllables ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Programs that surreptitiously monitor and report the actions of a computer user. Internet, uncountable

    "In the end of the 90s we call^([sic]) this software spyware, there was a term for it, and now we don't use this term anymore because most of the software that we use is spyware […]"

  2. 2
    computer software that obtains information from a user's computer without the user's knowledge or consent wordnet

Example

More examples

"Sami installed spyware on Layla's computer."

Etymology

From spy + -ware.

Related phrases

computer virus

More for "spyware"

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.