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

• 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

The relative then spied a dead dog on an interstate nearby, and assumed the canine was Randy since both dogs had the same shading. —Tj MacIas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Oct. 2025

Depending on your age and foreign language ability, fulfilling your James Bond spy fantasies may not be very realistic—but spying for the British government just got more accessible. —PC Magazine, 21 Sep. 2025

Noun

The original series ran from 2012 to 2015 via Dark Horse and was a heady and experimental mix of spies, rogue agents, and psychic powers. —Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2025

Deadline has confirmed that the original artwork was replaced by stills from the Ian Fleming spy movies over the weekend, following a social media backlash that coincided with James Bond Day on October 5. —Jake Kanter, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2025

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