voyeur

American  

[vwah-yur, voi-, vwa-yœr] / vwɑˈyɜr, vɔɪ-, vwaˈyœr /

noun

plural

voyeurs

1. a person who engages in voyeurism.

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voyeur British  

/ vwaɪˈɜː, vwajœr /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

• voyeurism noun
• voyeuristic adjective
• voyeuristically adverb

Etymology

Origin of voyeur

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

Example Sentences

Villarreal: As a real estate voyeur, I am curious to see more of Greg/Gary’s posh pad up on the hills.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 23, 2025

Rather, it’s a clever way for Soderbergh to make the viewer feel like a voyeur, listening in on increasingly intimate conversations that we wouldn’t otherwise be privy to.

From Salon • Jan. 24, 2025

The lens skulks like a voyeur and does what it can to frazzle us, too.

From New York Times • May 5, 2022

I stood at the half-open door peering in, I had permission to be there for a story but felt more like a voyeur, an intruder in a deeply personal moment.

From BBC • Mar. 8, 2022

I noticed that the inhabitants of this level were mostly couples and I felt something of a voyeur as I passed from table to table.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss