Phrase guide

peeping tom

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A person who watches another without the other's permission and usually without the other's knowledge, especially for the purpose of deriving sexual pleasure from the sight of the other.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a viewer who enjoys seeing the sex acts or sex organs of others

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: voyeur, peeper

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: spectator, witness, viewer, watcher, looker

History

Etymology

From Peeping Tom, a tailor in the legend of Lady Godiva who watched Godiva riding naked.

Across languages

Translations

45 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: مُتَلَصِّص (mutalaṣṣiṣ) — person who secretly watches someone to gain sexual pleasure
  • Chinese Mandarin: 偷窺者 /偷窥者 (tōukuīzhě) — person who secretly watches someone to gain sexual pleasure
  • Chinese Mandarin: 偷窺狂 /偷窥狂 (tōukuīkuáng) — person who secretly watches someone to gain sexual pleasure
  • Czech: šmírák — person who secretly watches someone to gain sexual pleasure
  • Czech: voyeur — person who secretly watches someone to gain sexual pleasure
  • Danish: vindueskigger — person who secretly watches someone to gain sexual pleasure
  • Dutch: gluurder — person who secretly watches someone to gain sexual pleasure
  • Dutch: voyeur — person who secretly watches someone to gain sexual pleasure
  • Finnish: tirkistelijä — person who secretly watches someone to gain sexual pleasure
  • Finnish: voyeuristi — person who secretly watches someone to gain sexual pleasure
  • French: voyeur — person who secretly watches someone to gain sexual pleasure
  • French: voyeuse — person who secretly watches someone to gain sexual pleasure
  • German: Voyeur — person who secretly watches someone to gain sexual pleasure
  • German: Spanner — person who secretly watches someone to gain sexual pleasure
  • Greek: ηδονοβλεψίας (idonovlepsías) — person who secretly watches someone to gain sexual pleasure
  • Greek: οφθαλμοπόρνος (ofthalmopórnos) — person who secretly watches someone to gain sexual pleasure
  • Greek: ματάκιας (matákias) — person who secretly watches someone to gain sexual pleasure
  • Greek: μπανιστηρτζής (banistirtzís) — person who secretly watches someone to gain sexual pleasure
  • Icelandic: gluggagægir — person who secretly watches someone to gain sexual pleasure
  • Italian: guardone — person who secretly watches someone to gain sexual pleasure
  • Japanese: 出歯亀 — person who secretly watches someone to gain sexual pleasure
  • Japanese: 覗き魔 (nozokima) — person who secretly watches someone to gain sexual pleasure
  • Macedonian: ѕиркач (dzirkač) — person who secretly watches someone to gain sexual pleasure
  • Macedonian: воајер (voajer) — person who secretly watches someone to gain sexual pleasure
  • Norman: dgîngneux — person who secretly watches someone to gain sexual pleasure
  • Norwegian Bokmål: vinduskikker — person who secretly watches someone to gain sexual pleasure
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: vinduskikkar — person who secretly watches someone to gain sexual pleasure
  • Persian: هیز (hiz) — person who secretly watches someone to gain sexual pleasure
  • Plautdietsch: Glotzkopp — person who secretly watches someone to gain sexual pleasure
  • Polish: podglądacz — person who secretly watches someone to gain sexual pleasure
  • Portuguese: voyeur — person who secretly watches someone to gain sexual pleasure
  • Portuguese: espreitador — person who secretly watches someone to gain sexual pleasure
  • Russian: вуайери́ст (vuajjeríst) — person who secretly watches someone to gain sexual pleasure
  • Russian: вуайери́стка (vuajjerístka) — person who secretly watches someone to gain sexual pleasure
  • Russian: вуайёр (vuajjór) — person who secretly watches someone to gain sexual pleasure
  • Russian: согляда́тай (sogljadátaj) — person who secretly watches someone to gain sexual pleasure
  • Russian: подгля́дывающий (podgljádyvajuščij) — person who secretly watches someone to gain sexual pleasure
  • Spanish: voyeur — person who secretly watches someone to gain sexual pleasure
  • Spanish: mirón — person who secretly watches someone to gain sexual pleasure
  • Swedish: voyeur — person who secretly watches someone to gain sexual pleasure
  • Swedish: smygtittare — person who secretly watches someone to gain sexual pleasure
  • Swedish: fönstertittare — person who secretly watches someone to gain sexual pleasure
  • Swedish: fluktare — person who secretly watches someone to gain sexual pleasure
  • Turkish: röntgenci — person who secretly watches someone to gain sexual pleasure
  • Welsh: Twm Pip — person who secretly watches someone to gain sexual pleasure