intransitive verb
transitive verb
-·tapped·, -·tap·ping to tap (a telephone wire, etc.) to get information secretly or underhandedly
- the act or an instance of wiretapping
- a device used in wiretapping
of or relating to wiretapping
wiretap
wire·tapWebster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"wiretap." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/wiretap>.
APA Style
wiretap. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/wiretap
wiretap
noun
- An act of secretly listening to or recording a person's telephone or internet conversations, often as part of a police investigation.
- A device that is connected to a communications circuit in a concealed fashion in order to enable a wiretap.
transitive verb
wire·tapped, wire·tap·ping, wire·taps- To listen to or record in secret (a conversation carried on over a telephone line or other communications channel), often as part of a police investigation.
- To wiretap the conversations on (a telephone line or other communications channel), often as part of a police investigation.
- To wiretap the conversations of (a person) or the communications devices in (a place).
- To connect a concealed listening or recording device to (a telephone line).
Related Forms:
- wire′tap′per
noun
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"wiretap." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/wiretap>.
APA Style
wiretap. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/wiretap
Noun
(plural wiretaps)
- A concealed device connected to a telephone or other communications system that allows a third party to listen or record conversations.
- The act of installing such a device.
Verb
(third-person singular simple present wiretaps, present participle wiretapping, simple past and past participle wiretapped)
- To install or to use such a device.
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"wiretap." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/wiretap>.
APA Style
wiretap. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/wiretap
wiretap - Computer Definition
In historical terms, a temporary physical connection secretly placed on a metallic circuit in order to monitor the information being transmitted across it. In contemporary terms, a wiretap need not be a physical connection on a circuit, but can take many forms, including the interception of a radio signal. In the United States and many other countries, wiretaps are illegal unless authorized by court order, or perhaps the order of a federal agency or of the executive branch of government in times of war or in the interests of national security. See also eavesdrop and Echelon.
Webster's New World Telecom Dictionary Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"wiretap." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/wiretap>.
APA Style
wiretap. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/wiretap
wiretap - Legal Definition
n
v
- The listening in of any wire or oral communication by use of electronic or mechanical means; generally illegal where both parties to the communication are unaware of the wiretap. Unauthorized use or possession of wiretap devices is prohibited under state and federal law.
- The act of placing an electronic device to listen in on oral communications. See also bugging, and pen register.
Webster's New World Law Dictionary Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"wiretap." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/wiretap>.
APA Style
wiretap. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/wiretap
