Definition

Noun: A person who secretly listens to or records telephone conversations by making an illegal or covert connection to the telephone line.

Usage

This term specifically refers to an individual who performs the act of wiretapping a telephone line. It is often used in legal, journalistic, and espionage contexts. - The investigation revealed that a phone tapper had been listening to the executives' calls for months. - Journalists were accused of hiring a phone tapper to obtain private information.

Advanced Usage

• The term can imply criminal or unethical activity, as unauthorized wiretapping is illegal in most jurisdictions.
• It is sometimes used more broadly in historical contexts to refer to individuals who intercepted telegraph communications.

Variants and Related Words

• Wiretapper (noun): A more general synonym for someone who intercepts communications via a wire.
• Eavesdropper (noun): A person who secretly listens to a conversation. (This is a broader term not limited to telephone lines).
• Phone tapping (noun): The act or practice of secretly listening to telephone conversations.

Synonyms

• Wiretapper
• Eavesdropper (in a general sense)
• Interceptor

Related Phrases

• To tap a phone (verb phrase): The action performed by a phone tapper.
  • The agency had the legal authority to tap the phone of the suspect.

Noun

1. someone who wiretaps a telephone or telegraph wire