Surveillance Terminology

noun a person or organization that exercises total control over people's lives, often in a domineering or intrusive way

• In George Orwell's novel 1984, Big Brother is a symbol of the oppressive government.
• I always feel like Big Brother is watching me with all the security cameras around here.
• Dude, don't be such a Big Brother and let me have some fun.
• The media can sometimes act like Big Brother, constantly monitoring and influencing public opinion.

noun a person who secretly listens to the private conversations of others

verb to listen secretly to the private conversations of others

• It is considered impolite to eavesdrop on private conversations.
• I couldn't help but eavesdrop on their conversation at the coffee shop.
• I saw you trying to eavesdrop on us, you nosy parker!
• Sometimes it feels like the walls have ears and are eavesdropping on our every word.

noun a word that functions as the name of a specific person, place, thing, or idea

verb a word that expresses an action or a state of being

preposition a word that shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other words in a sentence

article a word that is used to specify a noun

• Please remember to keep an eye on the financial reports for any discrepancies.
• Hey, can you keep an eye on my bag while I go grab a drink?
• I told my friend to keep an eye on the new guy at work, he seems sketchy.
• As a parent, it's important to keep an eye on your child's social media activity for their safety.

verb to inquire too closely into a person's private affairs

adjective inquisitive or nosy

• The investigator was accused of prying into the personal lives of the suspects.
• Stop prying into my business, it's none of your concern.
• She's always prying for gossip, it's so annoying.
• The journalist's prying questions uncovered the truth behind the scandal.

noun the act of staking out or watching a location for a period of time

• The police conducted a stakeout outside the suspect's house to gather evidence.
• We had to do a stakeout to catch the raccoon that's been getting into the trash cans.
• Let's go on a stakeout to see if we can catch those kids who keep egging our house.
• She felt like she was on a stakeout, waiting for her boss to make a decision on her promotion.