as in operative
a person who tries secretly to obtain information for one country in the territory of another usually unfriendly country
the government spy risked his life every day in the fight against global terrorism
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in to spot
to make note of (something) through the use of one's eyes
I spy a motel off in the distance, so let's spend the night there
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spy
Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 17 June 2026
Miss Lambert Steps Aboard Danger—a spy caper set in the 1930s—will be published by Knopf (US, Canada) and Faber (UK) on March 9, 2027.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 16 June 2026
ArsTechnica, 12 June 2026
In 2019, a Beluga whale turned up on the Norwegian coast wearing a harness that appeared to have a mount for a small camera, sparking speculation that it had been trained to spy for the Russian navy.
—Frank Andrews, CBS News, 12 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for spy
Noun
Daisy appears to be a Canadian defector hoping for acceptance within Gilead, but she’s actually been recruited as a spy by Moss, who continues her role as June Osborne from The Handmaid’s Tale.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 17 June 2026
Miss Lambert Steps Aboard Danger—a spy caper set in the 1930s—will be published by Knopf (US, Canada) and Faber (UK) on March 9, 2027.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 16 June 2026
Verb
Executive Order 12333 isn’t merely an alternative spying power, wrote Eddington, who focuses on homeland security and civil liberties at the Cato Institute.
—ArsTechnica, 12 June 2026
In 2019, a Beluga whale turned up on the Norwegian coast wearing a harness that appeared to have a mount for a small camera, sparking speculation that it had been trained to spy for the Russian navy.
—Frank Andrews, CBS News, 12 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for spy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spy
Noun
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Dunlap launched an insurgent campaign to challenge Golden in 2025, prompting a backlash from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, as well as Democratic lawmakers and operatives who suggested Dunlap could not win the rural, conservative-leaning seat.—
James A. Downs,
The Washington Examiner,
19 June 2026
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That same year, a Russian helicopter pilot who defected was killed in Spain, with Russian operatives as the prime suspects.—
Vanessa Gera,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
Verb
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Some drone operators are spotted by the federal eyes in the skies, but most commonly, ground interception teams of the FBI and local law enforcement at each venue make physical contact with the drone pilot.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
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He was originally spotted by the Swiss side when featuring for his country in the Toulon under-20 tournament four years ago.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
Noun
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Matt Chapman signed his extension before Posey took over, but his first big move was bringing in free-agent shortstop Willy Adames.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
18 June 2026
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To fix this, the team altered the fabrication process and introduced an in situ crosslinking agent directly into the polymer film during its formation.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
18 June 2026
Verb
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Europe’s largest economy, like many wealthy nations, is eyeing autonomous bots to address its struggling industrial base and aging workforce.—
J.D. Capelouto,
semafor.com,
23 June 2026
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In any case, chip stocks are down, too, and investors are eying Intel and others with a certain suspicion, at least short-term.—
John Werner,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2026
Noun
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The result is that the majority — roughly 70% of public firms — of Self-Dealers and Value-Extractors still practicing MSV undercover are enjoying below-average as shown by the data in Figure 2 from Professor Felix Oberholzer’s book Better Simpler Strategy.—
Steve Denning,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2026
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First, in February 2008, a Dutch TV station aired a confession allegedly made by van der Sloot and captured on a hidden camera by Patrick van der Eem, a businessman working undercover for a Dutch journalist.—
Lynsey Eidell,
PEOPLE,
30 May 2026
Verb
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Sensors alone are not a cure for such failures, but better measurements can help engineers notice when important details are changing.—
Alex Krasnok,
Fortune,
21 June 2026
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Pryor also noticed that Black students were frequently more hesitant to participate in these conversations.—
Marybeth Gasman,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2026
Noun
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Mexican comfort food known for agua frescas, frozen margaritas, enchiladas (mole, salsa verde and sour cream trio), pambazos and desserts.—
Ella Gonzales,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
16 June 2026
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The film was decried by the LGBT community even in pre-production, as a mole on set allegedly leaked a copy of the screenplay to passionate advocates like Village Voice columnist Arthur Bell.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
11 June 2026
Verb
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The controversial diplomatic breakthrough poses a quandary for Vance, whose aides see Rubio as his most viable challenger for the Republican presidential nomination should the secretary choose to run.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
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She was last seen Thursday night in surveillance footage walking through the Publix parking lot at 100 Old Cherokee Road.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
18 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spy. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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