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View synonyms for

wiretap

[ wahyuhr-tap ]

noun

  1. an act or instance of tapping telephone or telegraph wires for evidence or other information.


verb (used with object)

wiretapped, wiretapping.
  1. to obtain (information, evidence, etc.) by tapping telephone or telegraph wires:

    to wiretap conversations.

  2. to listen in on by means of a wiretap:

    to wiretap a telephone; to wiretap a conversation.

verb (used without object)

wiretapped, wiretapping.
  1. to tap telephone or telegraph wires for evidence, information, etc.

adjective

  1. pertaining to or obtained by wiretap.

wiretap

/ ˈɲɪəˌæ /

verb

  1. to make a connection to a telegraph or telephone wire in order to obtain information secretly
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈɾˌٲ辱Բ, noun
  • ˈɾˌٲ, noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of wiretap1

First recorded in 1950–55; back formation from wiretapper
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The Swedish government has proposed new legislation that would allow police to wiretap children under the age of 15 in an attempt to grapple with the problem.

From

He had been suspended for flouting weight regulations, stripped of his informants and demoted to monitoring wiretaps.

From

Henley, in multiple wiretapped calls, allegedly recounted sending the co-conspirator to Minnesota to collect several hundred thousand dollars on behalf of someone he referred to as “Jew Boy.”

From

In one case, Roosa said he heard Henley on a wiretap planning a robbery of people who had stolen equipment from a celebrity rapper.

From

While on their tour of duty, the judges decide on FBI requests to wiretap alleged foreign spies.

From

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