Wiretap

noun, verb

noun, verb ·3 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A connection installed on a telephone line or other communications system in order to allow a third party to conduct covert surveillance of conversations.
  2. 2
    the act of tapping a telephone or telegraph line to get information wordnet
Verb
  1. 1
    To install or to use such a connection. transitive
  2. 2
    tap a telephone or telegraph wire to get information wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
attendattend toauscultatebe all earsbend an earbug

Example

More examples

"The wiretap was discontinued in 2016 due to a lack of evidence uncovered, but was re-started under a new warrant later that year and continued at least into early 2017."

Etymology

Back-formation from wiretapper; or else wire + tap

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