overlistenv.
/ˌəʊvəˈlɪsn/, U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈlɪsn/ rare.
transitive. To listen so as to overhear or eavesdrop.
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the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > hear [verb (intransitive)] > listen > eavesdrop
hearkena1382
eavesdrop1606
overlisten1609
earwig1865
1609 W. Rowley Search for Money (1842) 9 As wee were but asking the question, steps mee from over the way (overlistning us) a news-searcher.
1832 Blackwood's Mag. 192 Like an eavesdropper, overlistening our soliloquy.
1996 Toronto Star (Nexis) 26 Apr. g15 You can't expect to overhear anything, unless you overlisten.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2004; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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v.1609- on etc side of the etc
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