overheard

Caught without intending

Overheard is the past tense of overhear—to hear something not intended for you, whether by accident or design.

You might overhear a conversation through thin walls or overhear your name mentioned at a party: I overheard them talking about the layoffs.

The word implies the speaker didn't know they were being listened to.

eavesdropping

conversation

Exchange of spoken ideas

snippetSmall cut portion
whisperSpeech without full voice
gossipInformal talk spreading rumors

secret · private · listen · caught · unintentional · fragment · murmur · strangers · bus · elevator

rumor

gossip

Informal talk spreading rumors

hearsayUnverified secondhand information
secondhandHaving had prior ownership
unverifiedNot yet proven true

talk · word · buzz · chatter · scuttlebutt · grapevine · rumor mill · speculation · whispers · office

surveillance

wiretap

Hidden listening device

bugCrawling creature or defect
recordingCaptured audio or video
monitoredObserved systematically over time

intercepted · listening device · tapped · NSA · spying · intelligence · covert · transcript · classified · phone tap

literary

dialogue

Spoken exchange between parties

narrative deviceStorytelling method or tool
expositionSystematic explanatory presentation
sceneDramatic unit or locale

novel · play · conversation piece · plot device · dramatic irony · revelation · twist · discovery · Austen · drawing room

Opposites

intentionality of communication

overheardaddressed

Spoke to formally

informed · told · confided in · notified · briefed

speaker awareness

overheardattended

Was at an event

secrecy/disclosure

overhearddisclosed

Made previously hidden known

Phrases

overheard conversationSpeech unintentionally caught

Family

overhear, overhearing, overhears

Familiarity: Top 10,000
Profile: Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Everyday, not technical · Rated G