Standard Lemma guide

wiretap

noun · verb · 4 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.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈwaɪətæp/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈwaɪɚtæp/
  • CMU ARPABET: W AY1 ER0 T AE2 P Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A connection installed on a telephone line or other communications system in order to allow a third party to conduct covert surveillance of conversations.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To install or to use such a connection.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

the act of tapping a telephone or telegraph line to get information

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: tap

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: investigation, investigating

4

verb

Meaning 4

tap a telephone or telegraph wire to get information

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The FBI was tapping the phone line of the suspected spy
  • Is this hotel room bugged?

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: tap, intercept, bug

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: listen in, eavesdrop

History

Etymology

Back-formation from wiretapper; or else wire + tap

Across languages

Translations

42 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: бръ́мбар (brǎ́mbar) — covert connection
  • Chinese Mandarin: 竊聽器 /窃听器 (qiētīngqì) — covert connection
  • Czech: štěnice — covert connection
  • Finnish: salakuuntelulaite — covert connection
  • Finnish: kuuntelulaite — covert connection
  • French: mouchard — covert connection
  • French: micro — covert connection
  • French: écoute — covert connection
  • Georgian: მოსასმენი მოწყობილობა (mosasmeni moc̣q̇obiloba) — covert connection
  • Georgian: ფარული მოსმენის ელექტრონული მოწყობილობა (paruli mosmenis elekṭronuli moc̣q̇obiloba) — covert connection
  • German: Wanze — covert connection
  • Greek: κοριός (koriós) — covert connection
  • Italian: cimice — covert connection
  • Italian: microspia — covert connection
  • Japanese: 盗聴器 (tōchōki) — covert connection
  • Korean: 도청기 (docheonggi) — covert connection
  • Korean: 도청장치 (docheongjangchi) — covert connection
  • Polish: pluskwa — covert connection
  • Portuguese: grampo — covert connection
  • Russian: жучо́к (žučók) — covert connection
  • Russian: подслу́шивающее устро́йство (podslúšivajuščeje ustrójstvo) — covert connection
  • Swedish: telefonavlyssning — covert connection
  • Czech: odposlouchávat — to install or to use such a device
  • Dutch: aftappen — to install or to use such a device
  • Finnish: asentaa salakuuntelulaite — to install or to use such a device
  • Finnish: salakuunnella — to install or to use such a device
  • French: poser un mouchard — to install or to use such a device
  • French: un micro — to install or to use such a device
  • French: mettre sur écoute — to install or to use such a device
  • Georgian: სატელეფონო საუბრების მოსმენა (saṭelepono saubrebis mosmena) — to install or to use such a device
  • Georgian: სატელეფონო საუბრებზე მიყურადება (saṭelepono saubrebze miq̇uradeba) — to install or to use such a device
  • German: verwanzen — to install or to use such a device
  • Italian: spiare — to install or to use such a device
  • Italian: intercettare — to install or to use such a device
  • Japanese: 盗聴器を仕掛ける (tōchōki wo shikakeru) — to install or to use such a device
  • Korean: 도청기(盜聽機)를 설치하다 (docheonggi-reul seolchihada) — to install or to use such a device
  • Korean: 도청장치(盜聽裝置)를 설치하다 (docheongjangchi-reul seolchihada) — to install or to use such a device
  • Polish: zakładać pluskwę — to install or to use such a device
  • Polish: założyć pluskwę — to install or to use such a device
  • Portuguese: grampear — to install or to use such a device
  • Slovene: namestiti prisluškovalno napravo — to install or to use such a device
  • Swedish: telefonavlyssna — to install or to use such a device