Listen In (Verb)
Meaning 1
Listen without the speaker's knowledge; "the jealous man was eavesdropping on his wife's conversations".
Classification
Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling.
Examples
- She claimed to have accidentally picked up the receiver while her brother was on a phone call, but in reality she had chosen to listen in on his conversation.
- Her curiosity got the better of her, and she began to listen in on her roommate's hushed conversations.
- Police detectives could listen in on suspected terrorist communications without alerting them to their investigation.
- As the neighbor's conversation through the thin wall turned heated, she tried to stop herself from continuing to listen in.
- Parents might feel compelled to listen in on their teenager's phone calls to gauge their safety and well-being.
Synonyms
Hyponyms
Meaning 2
Listen quietly, without contributing to the conversation.
Classification
Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling.
Examples
- She decided to listen in on the meeting and observe the discussion without interrupting.
- A quiet student in the back of the classroom would often listen in to the debates without contributing.
- Let's listen in on the neighbors' conversation for a bit, it sounds interesting.
- He found a seat in the corner and chose to listen in to the conversation, gathering as much information as he could.
- The researcher asked permission to listen in on the focus group discussion to get a better understanding of the opinions.