spy

1 of 2

verb

ˈspī 

spied; spying

transitive verb

1

: to watch secretly usually for hostile purposes

There is a story that Washington … sat with his glass, spying the movements across the water in Boston.

—Horace E. Scudder

2

: to catch sight of : see

spied her friends in the crowd

3

: to search or look for intensively

—usually used with out

… spy out places fit for vending … goods …

—Samuel Eliot Morison

intransitive verb

1

: to observe or search for something : look

2

: to watch secretly as a spy

spying for the government

—often used with on

spying on a rival company

spy

2 of 2

noun

plural spies

1

: one that spies:

a

: one who keeps secret watch on a person or thing to obtain information

b

: a person employed by one nation to secretly convey classified information of strategic importance to another nation

also : a person who conveys the trade secrets of one company to another

2

: an act of spying

Synonyms of spy

Verb

• spot
• eye
• notice
• see
• regard

Noun

• operative
• agent
• undercover
• mole

Examples of spy in a Sentence

Verb

They were accused of spying for a foreign government.

I spy a motel off in the distance, so let's spend the night there.

Noun

He was a spy for the CIA.

My coworker is a spy for the boss.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Expect to spy herds of elephants or noisy hippos wading in the river just a few feet away. — Todd Plummer, Robb Report, 19 June 2026

This is not the first time an American has been accused of spying for Iran. — Sophia Mandt, The Washington Examiner, 30 June 2026

Noun

The co-stars will lead Jack Thorne’s upcoming spy series from A24 coming to Netflix. — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 26 June 2026

The District of Columbia's most affluent suburb is McLean, home to diplomats and spies. — Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 4 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English spien, from Anglo-French espier, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German spehōn to spy; akin to Latin specere to look, look at, Greek skeptesthai & skopein to watch, look at, consider

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing spy

• spy on
• spy out
• spy out the land

Rhymes for spy

• ai
• aye
• bae
• bi
• buy
• by
• bye
• chai
• chi
• cry
• die
• dry

Kids Definition

spy

1 of 2 verb

ˈspī 

spied; spying

1

: to watch, inspect, or examine secretly : act as a spy

2

: to catch sight of : see

spied a friend in the crowd

spy

2 of 2 noun

plural spies

1

: one that watches the movement or actions of others especially in secret

2

: a person who tries secretly to obtain information for one country in the territory of another usually unfriendly country