spy

1 of 2

verb

ˈspī 

spied; spying

transitive verb

1

: to watch secretly usually for hostile purposes

2

: to catch sight of : see

3

: to search or look for intensively

—usually used with out

spy out places fit for vending … goods

—S. E. Morison

intransitive verb

1

: to observe or search for something : look

2

: to watch secretly as a spy

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

Verb

• behold
• catch
• descry
• discern
• distinguish
• espy
• eye
• look (at)
• note
• notice
• observe
• perceive
• regard
• remark
• see
• sight
• spot
• view
• witness

Noun

• agent
• asset
• emissary
• intelligencer
• mole
• operative
• spook
• undercover

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

Red Bull spied a hole on McLaren’s MCL38 brake cover and believe this is helping McLaren with tire management and degradation. —Sean Evans, Robb Report, 19 July 2024

Although cops were reportedly stationed inside the building that houses a company that manufactures equipment for the bottle industry, Crooks appears to have climbed on top with an AR-15-style gun, undetected, until some in the crowd spied him and began pointing and shouting. —Kenny Jacoby, USA TODAY, 17 July 2024

Noun

Listen to this article Loading your audio article A New Yorker and former CIA analyst worked as a South Korean spy for nearly a decade, according to court documents released Wednesday. —Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 17 July 2024

The six-episode series is set in a near-future Milan, in 2030, where eight years earlier the independent global spy agency Citadel was wiped out by Manticore, the powerful enemy syndicate that manipulates the world from the shadows. —Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 15 July 2024

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

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