voyeur
noun
voy·eur
| \ vwä-ˈyər
, vȯi-ˈər
\
, vȯi-ˈər
\
Definition of voyeur
1
: one obtaining sexual gratification from observing unsuspecting individuals who are partly undressed, naked, or engaged in sexual acts
broadly
: one who habitually seeks sexual stimulation by visual means
2
: a prying observer who is usually seeking the sordid or the scandalous
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Examples of voyeur in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Viewers spend the nearly two-hour runtime as voyeurs. — Nora Mcgreevy, BostonGlobe.com, "More than a matter of black and white," 8 Aug. 2019 In other words, this is house candy at its most delicious, tailor made for voyeurs like me. — Marni Jameson, NOLA.com, "See inside 400 rooms of famous style icons in this new book," 5 May 2019 A few months later, in Aleppo, a doctor would refuse to speak to the American journalist Clare Gillis, seeing reporters as nothing more than voyeurs. — Muhammad Idrees Ahmad, The New York Review of Books, "How Assad Made Truth a Casualty of War," 7 Sep. 2018 Nevertheless, her pristine beauty can turn the viewer into an unwitting voyeur. — Tom L. Freudenheim, WSJ, "A Portrait Both Sensible and Sensual," 11 Jan. 2019 Viewers are put in the position of voyeurs—not fellow travelers on her spiritual quest. — Lance Esplund, WSJ, "‘Hilma af Klint: Paintings for the Future’ Review: Modernism’s Missing Link?," 13 Oct. 2018 The author emerges as equal measures social historian and voyeur. — Adrian Woolfson, WSJ, "‘The Mystery of the Exploding Teeth’ Review: Desperate Remedies," 12 Dec. 2018 Some photographers are addicted to war; some viewers are voyeurs. — New York Times, "What Does It Mean to Look at This?," 24 May 2018 Wrestlers told Politico that coaches, like Jordan, often had to kick voyeurs out of the sauna and practice areas. — Tara Golshan, Vox, "Jim Jordan’s allies are questioning the premise of the Ohio State sexual abuse allegations," 13 July 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'voyeur.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for voyeur
voyeur
noun
English Language Learners Definition of voyeur
: a person who gets sexual pleasure from secretly watching other people have sex
: a person who likes seeing and talking or writing about something that is considered to be private
See the full definition for voyeur in the English Language Learners Dictionary
voyeur
noun
voy·eur
| \ vwä-ˈyər
, vȯi-ˈər
\
, vȯi-ˈər
\
Medical Definition of voyeur
: one obtaining sexual gratification from observing unsuspecting individuals who are partly undressed, naked, or engaged in sexual acts
broadly
: one who habitually seeks sexual stimulation by visual means