Ggthjy

How can bays and straits be determined in a procedurally generated map?

DOS, create pipe for stdin/stdout of command.com(or 4dos.com) in C or Batch?

Why is the design of haulage companies so “special”?

Why was the small council so happy for Tyrion to become the Master of Coin?

Why don't electron-positron collisions release infinite energy?

The use of multiple foreign keys on same column in SQL Server

How can the DM most effectively choose 1 out of an odd number of players to be targeted by an attack or effect?

Is it possible to do 50 km distance without any previous training?

Non-Jewish family in an Orthodox Jewish Wedding

What defenses are there against being summoned by the Gate spell?

Why can't I see bouncing of a switch on an oscilloscope?

A function which translates a sentence to title-case

New order #4: World

The magic money tree problem

Japan - Plan around max visa duration

Infinite past with a beginning?

Simulate Bitwise Cyclic Tag

What is the offset in a seaplane's hull?

Can you lasso down a wizard who is using the Levitate spell?

How is the claim "I am in New York only if I am in America" the same as "If I am in New York, then I am in America?

If Manufacturer spice model and Datasheet give different values which should I use?

Extreme, but not acceptable situation and I can't start the work tomorrow morning

Should I join an office cleaning event for free?

Accidentally leaked the solution to an assignment, what to do now? (I'm the prof)

“Eavesdropping” vs “Listen in on”

What is the difference between 'hear' and 'listen'?How often is the expression “get on well” used? Is there any difference with “get along”?

.everyoneloves__top-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__mid-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__bot-mid-leaderboard:empty{ margin-bottom:0;
}

11

1

Is "Eavesdropping" and "Listening in on" different? and if they are in which context should I be using each expression?

listen in (on something) — phrasal verb with listen us ​ /ˈlɪs·ən/ verb [ I ] to listen to someone's conversation when the person does not realize you are doing it:

She thinks her boss is listening in on her phone conversations.

eaves·drop

to secretly listen to a conversation.

"she opened the window just enough to eavesdrop on the conversation
outside"

word-usage

share|improve this question

asked Mar 31 at 16:36

KaiqueKaique

1,453420

• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Please always include the source of dictionary definitions (or anything, really) you quote in your post. Thank you!
  
  – userr2684291
  Mar 31 at 18:17
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Google "Emotive conjugation" ... "It's one of those irregular verbs, isn't it? I have an independent mind, You are eccentric, He is round the twist."
  
  – Shane
  Apr 1 at 3:47
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

11

1

Is "Eavesdropping" and "Listening in on" different? and if they are in which context should I be using each expression?

listen in (on something) — phrasal verb with listen us ​ /ˈlɪs·ən/ verb [ I ] to listen to someone's conversation when the person does not realize you are doing it:

She thinks her boss is listening in on her phone conversations.

eaves·drop

to secretly listen to a conversation.

"she opened the window just enough to eavesdrop on the conversation
outside"

word-usage

share|improve this question

asked Mar 31 at 16:36

KaiqueKaique

1,453420

• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Please always include the source of dictionary definitions (or anything, really) you quote in your post. Thank you!
  
  – userr2684291
  Mar 31 at 18:17
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Google "Emotive conjugation" ... "It's one of those irregular verbs, isn't it? I have an independent mind, You are eccentric, He is round the twist."
  
  – Shane
  Apr 1 at 3:47
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

Is "Eavesdropping" and "Listening in on" different? and if they are in which context should I be using each expression?

listen in (on something) — phrasal verb with listen us ​ /ˈlɪs·ən/ verb [ I ] to listen to someone's conversation when the person does not realize you are doing it:

She thinks her boss is listening in on her phone conversations.

eaves·drop

to secretly listen to a conversation.

"she opened the window just enough to eavesdrop on the conversation
outside"

word-usage

share|improve this question

asked Mar 31 at 16:36

KaiqueKaique

1,453420

share|improve this question

asked Mar 31 at 16:36

KaiqueKaique

1,453420

share|improve this question

asked Mar 31 at 16:36

KaiqueKaique

1,453420

asked Mar 31 at 16:36

KaiqueKaique

1,453420

asked Mar 31 at 16:36

KaiqueKaique

1,453420

2 Answers
2

active

oldest

votes

30

"Listen in" is like "take", while "eavesdrop" is like "steal". For example:

She took a pencil from her coworker's desk

Without context it's impossible to say whether she is taking the pencil illicitly, or taking it because it's convenient. But if you say:

She stole a pencil from her coworker's desk

she clearly knows she's doing something wrong.

In the same way, if you "listen in" on a conversation, you're not necessarily doing anything wrong. It mostly depends on whether the speakers know they are being overheard, or if they expect privacy. For example:

Sitting alone in the cafe, she listened in on the conversations around her. Particularly interesting was a young couple quietly fighting over a pile of unwashed dishes, which apparently one of them had promised to do some days ago.

In this context, "listen in" is slightly naughty, but since it's a public cafe there's not really any expectation that conversations will be private. However, if instead you wrote:

Sitting alone in the cafe, she eavesdropped on the conversations around her.

This is definitely naughty, as she knows the conversations are not meant for her ears, but she's listening anyway. Same context, different nuance.

share|improve this answer

edited Apr 1 at 1:05

answered Mar 31 at 18:06

AndrewAndrew

71.3k679157

• 
  
  
  

  
  7
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  And to add a completely positive example. "New employee Sam was listening in on the customer call to gain an understanding of the process but she wasn't yet experienced enough to be an active participant"
  
  – Richard Tingle
  Apr 1 at 12:22
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Does this mean that when a law enforcement officer listens in via a wiretap, it's not eavesdropping if there is a warrant? I always considered "eavesdropping" to be in regards to the speakers' knowledge/consent rather than the legality of the listening in.
  
  – Flater
  Apr 1 at 12:52
  
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @Flater This really has little to do with any kind of absolute right or wrong, but rather what the writer wants to imply. If you write that the police "eavesdrop" on a conversation, it implies they're doing something wrong, even if it's for a good reason. In the grand scheme of things "eavesdropping" is not particularly naughty, much like a "little white lie".
  
  – Andrew
  Apr 1 at 15:23
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  There's also "overhear". I would say if you were in a cafe or a train and heard what people around you were saying, without any special effort on your part, then you overheard them, you didn't eavesdrop.
  
  – Michael Kay
  Apr 2 at 9:36
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

16

They're very similar. I would say that eavesdropping always carries the connotation that the listener is doing something a little wrong; they haven't been invited to any part of the conversation.

Listen in on can have that negative inflection, but it can also refer to something more neutral: "I have my assistant listening in on this conference call to take notes."

share|improve this answer

answered Mar 31 at 16:41

KatyKaty

2,032415

add a comment | 

Your Answer

StackExchange.ready(function() {
var channelOptions = {
tags: "".split(" "),
id: "481"
};
initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);

StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
// Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
createEditor();
});
}
else {
createEditor();
}
});

function createEditor() {
StackExchange.prepareEditor({
heartbeatType: 'answer',
autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
convertImagesToLinks: false,
noModals: true,
showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
reputationToPostImages: null,
bindNavPrevention: true,
postfix: "",
imageUploader: {
brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
allowUrls: true
},
noCode: true, onDemand: true,
discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
});


}
});

draft saved

draft discarded

Sign up or log in

StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});

Sign up using Google

Sign up using Facebook

Sign up using Email and Password

Post as a guest

Name

Email

Required, but never shown

StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fell.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f203265%2feavesdropping-vs-listen-in-on%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);

Post as a guest

Name

Email

Required, but never shown

30

"Listen in" is like "take", while "eavesdrop" is like "steal". For example:

She took a pencil from her coworker's desk

Without context it's impossible to say whether she is taking the pencil illicitly, or taking it because it's convenient. But if you say:

She stole a pencil from her coworker's desk

she clearly knows she's doing something wrong.

In the same way, if you "listen in" on a conversation, you're not necessarily doing anything wrong. It mostly depends on whether the speakers know they are being overheard, or if they expect privacy. For example:

Sitting alone in the cafe, she listened in on the conversations around her. Particularly interesting was a young couple quietly fighting over a pile of unwashed dishes, which apparently one of them had promised to do some days ago.

In this context, "listen in" is slightly naughty, but since it's a public cafe there's not really any expectation that conversations will be private. However, if instead you wrote:

Sitting alone in the cafe, she eavesdropped on the conversations around her.

This is definitely naughty, as she knows the conversations are not meant for her ears, but she's listening anyway. Same context, different nuance.

share|improve this answer

edited Apr 1 at 1:05

answered Mar 31 at 18:06

AndrewAndrew

71.3k679157

• 
  
  
  

  
  7
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  And to add a completely positive example. "New employee Sam was listening in on the customer call to gain an understanding of the process but she wasn't yet experienced enough to be an active participant"
  
  – Richard Tingle
  Apr 1 at 12:22
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Does this mean that when a law enforcement officer listens in via a wiretap, it's not eavesdropping if there is a warrant? I always considered "eavesdropping" to be in regards to the speakers' knowledge/consent rather than the legality of the listening in.
  
  – Flater
  Apr 1 at 12:52
  
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @Flater This really has little to do with any kind of absolute right or wrong, but rather what the writer wants to imply. If you write that the police "eavesdrop" on a conversation, it implies they're doing something wrong, even if it's for a good reason. In the grand scheme of things "eavesdropping" is not particularly naughty, much like a "little white lie".
  
  – Andrew
  Apr 1 at 15:23
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  There's also "overhear". I would say if you were in a cafe or a train and heard what people around you were saying, without any special effort on your part, then you overheard them, you didn't eavesdrop.
  
  – Michael Kay
  Apr 2 at 9:36
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

30

"Listen in" is like "take", while "eavesdrop" is like "steal". For example:

She took a pencil from her coworker's desk

Without context it's impossible to say whether she is taking the pencil illicitly, or taking it because it's convenient. But if you say:

She stole a pencil from her coworker's desk

she clearly knows she's doing something wrong.

In the same way, if you "listen in" on a conversation, you're not necessarily doing anything wrong. It mostly depends on whether the speakers know they are being overheard, or if they expect privacy. For example:

Sitting alone in the cafe, she listened in on the conversations around her. Particularly interesting was a young couple quietly fighting over a pile of unwashed dishes, which apparently one of them had promised to do some days ago.

In this context, "listen in" is slightly naughty, but since it's a public cafe there's not really any expectation that conversations will be private. However, if instead you wrote:

Sitting alone in the cafe, she eavesdropped on the conversations around her.

This is definitely naughty, as she knows the conversations are not meant for her ears, but she's listening anyway. Same context, different nuance.

share|improve this answer

edited Apr 1 at 1:05

answered Mar 31 at 18:06

AndrewAndrew

71.3k679157

• 
  
  
  

  
  7
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  And to add a completely positive example. "New employee Sam was listening in on the customer call to gain an understanding of the process but she wasn't yet experienced enough to be an active participant"
  
  – Richard Tingle
  Apr 1 at 12:22
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Does this mean that when a law enforcement officer listens in via a wiretap, it's not eavesdropping if there is a warrant? I always considered "eavesdropping" to be in regards to the speakers' knowledge/consent rather than the legality of the listening in.
  
  – Flater
  Apr 1 at 12:52
  
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @Flater This really has little to do with any kind of absolute right or wrong, but rather what the writer wants to imply. If you write that the police "eavesdrop" on a conversation, it implies they're doing something wrong, even if it's for a good reason. In the grand scheme of things "eavesdropping" is not particularly naughty, much like a "little white lie".
  
  – Andrew
  Apr 1 at 15:23
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  There's also "overhear". I would say if you were in a cafe or a train and heard what people around you were saying, without any special effort on your part, then you overheard them, you didn't eavesdrop.
  
  – Michael Kay
  Apr 2 at 9:36
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

"Listen in" is like "take", while "eavesdrop" is like "steal". For example:

She took a pencil from her coworker's desk

Without context it's impossible to say whether she is taking the pencil illicitly, or taking it because it's convenient. But if you say:

She stole a pencil from her coworker's desk

she clearly knows she's doing something wrong.

In the same way, if you "listen in" on a conversation, you're not necessarily doing anything wrong. It mostly depends on whether the speakers know they are being overheard, or if they expect privacy. For example:

Sitting alone in the cafe, she listened in on the conversations around her. Particularly interesting was a young couple quietly fighting over a pile of unwashed dishes, which apparently one of them had promised to do some days ago.

In this context, "listen in" is slightly naughty, but since it's a public cafe there's not really any expectation that conversations will be private. However, if instead you wrote:

Sitting alone in the cafe, she eavesdropped on the conversations around her.

This is definitely naughty, as she knows the conversations are not meant for her ears, but she's listening anyway. Same context, different nuance.

share|improve this answer

edited Apr 1 at 1:05

answered Mar 31 at 18:06

AndrewAndrew

71.3k679157

share|improve this answer

edited Apr 1 at 1:05

answered Mar 31 at 18:06

AndrewAndrew

71.3k679157

answered Mar 31 at 18:06

AndrewAndrew

71.3k679157

answered Mar 31 at 18:06

AndrewAndrew

71.3k679157

16

They're very similar. I would say that eavesdropping always carries the connotation that the listener is doing something a little wrong; they haven't been invited to any part of the conversation.

Listen in on can have that negative inflection, but it can also refer to something more neutral: "I have my assistant listening in on this conference call to take notes."

share|improve this answer

answered Mar 31 at 16:41

KatyKaty

2,032415

add a comment | 

16

They're very similar. I would say that eavesdropping always carries the connotation that the listener is doing something a little wrong; they haven't been invited to any part of the conversation.

Listen in on can have that negative inflection, but it can also refer to something more neutral: "I have my assistant listening in on this conference call to take notes."

share|improve this answer

answered Mar 31 at 16:41

KatyKaty

2,032415

add a comment | 

They're very similar. I would say that eavesdropping always carries the connotation that the listener is doing something a little wrong; they haven't been invited to any part of the conversation.

Listen in on can have that negative inflection, but it can also refer to something more neutral: "I have my assistant listening in on this conference call to take notes."

share|improve this answer

answered Mar 31 at 16:41

KatyKaty

2,032415

share|improve this answer

answered Mar 31 at 16:41

KatyKaty

2,032415

answered Mar 31 at 16:41

KatyKaty

2,032415

answered Mar 31 at 16:41

KatyKaty

2,032415