eavesdropper
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
A surveillance aircraft.
Register: slang
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Examples
[…] the Japanese Ministry of Defence rang the bell and informed the world's press about the Tokyo Express — the ironic Japanese nickname for the constant flow of Soviet flying eavesdroppers in Japanese airspace.
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “eavesdropper” mean?
A surveillance aircraft.
Is “eavesdropper” formal or informal?
eavesdropper is generally slang.