spyware

American

[spahy-wair] / ˈspaɪˌwɛər /

noun

Computers. software that is installed surreptitiously and gathers information about an internet user's browsing habits, intercepts the user's personal data, etc., transmitting this information to a third party.

a parent's use of spyware to monitor a child's online activities.
tools that are used to conduct espionage.

sophisticated spyware that rivals that of the CIA.

spyware British

/ ˈspaɪˌwɛə /

noun

computing software installed via the internet on a computer without the user's knowledge and used to send information about the user to another computer

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of spyware

First recorded in 1980–85; spy + -ware

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi said on Wednesday that he fears for his life after authorities installed spyware on his phone during his arrest last year.

From Barron's

He has a track record of finding dangerous flaws in software that allow hackers to break in including work on the infamous Pegasus spyware.

From BBC

It was spyware experts from the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab who confirmed al-Masarir had been hacked with Pegasus spyware.

From BBC

One of the signatories, Sarah Champion, who sits on parliament's Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy has, in the past, had Chinese spyware found on her parliamentary computer.

From BBC

The spyware has also been sent to phones via links in messages, according to security researchers.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023