voyeur

[ vwah-yur, voi-; French vwa-yœr ]

noun

, plural vo·yeurs [vwah-, yurz, voi-, vw, a, -, yœr].

1. a person who engages in voyeurism.

voyeur

/ vwaɪˈɜː; vwajœr /

noun

1. a person who obtains sexual pleasure or excitement from the observation of someone undressing, having intercourse, etc

Derived Forms

• ˌvoyeurˈistic, adjective
• ˌvoyeurˈistically, adverb
• voˈyeurism, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of voyeur¹

First recorded in 1915–20; from French, equivalent to voi(r) “to see” (from Latin vidēre; video ( def ) ) + -eur -eur

Word History and Origins

Origin of voyeur¹

C20: French, literally: one who sees, from voir to see, from Latin vidēre

Example Sentences

Branded a "voyeur" by Mourinho after criticising his negative tactics in 2005, Wenger said the Chelsea boss was "out of order" and "disconnected with reality".

From BBC

A voyeur electrician who hid cameras in people’s homes and secretly filmed women in their bedrooms and bathrooms over a 10-year period has been jailed for two years and eight months.

From BBC

But apart from being misunderstood, what does the life of a “corpse voyeur” entail?

From Los Angeles Times

Furlong’s business, Voyeur Ventures, aims to promote and connect artists in innovative ways, and she is establishing a nonprofit incubator and artist collective she plans to call “Buffalo Prescott” that will promote the opioid overdose spray Narcan and safe sex kits as well as art.

From New York Times

It’s a lot about just putting yourself in the shoes of the voyeur, the gaze, and trying to anticipate and serve that.

From Los Angeles Times