wiretap

American  

[wahyuhr-tap] / ˈwaɪərˌtæp /

noun

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

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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 British  

/ ˈwaɪəˌtæp /

verb

1. to make a connection to a telegraph or telephone wire in order to obtain information secretly

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Other Word Forms

• wiretapper noun
• wiretapping noun

Etymology

Origin of wiretap

First recorded in 1950–55; back formation from wiretapper

Example Sentences

In fact, conspirators were overheard on a wiretap saying they “wouldn’t trust Joe” to agree to their scheme.

From Barron's • Oct. 17, 2025

Unnamed White House advisers who spoke with the Guardian said they raised the issue with aides close to Vice President JD Vance, only to find that the wiretap story was bunk.

From Salon • May 27, 2025

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 BBC • Apr. 30, 2025

And so the question is whether or not this warrantless wiretap violates the Fourth and Fifth amendments.

From Slate • Jan. 16, 2024

Beginning that very month, Harvey's wiretap commenced recording thousands of classified conversations among Soviet and East German military officials.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

Related Words

• consider
• examine
• explore
• inspect
• interrogate
• probe
• question
• review
• scrutinize
• search
• study