spy

1 of 2

verb

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 … goodsS. 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

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
Across the universe The far-reaching infrared gaze of the James Webb Space Telescope has spied a mysterious galaxy that existed when the universe was only 700 million years old — in its adolescence, astronomically speaking. Ashley Strickland, CNN, 10 Mar. 2024 Peering into the heart of the debris left behind by the star’s demise, astronomers led by Claes Fransson of Stockholm University in Sweden spied hints of ionized argon and sulfur—that is, evidence of elements that were so shocked by some external force that their electrons had been stripped away. Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 23 Feb. 2024 Guests can expect to see spy the Aston Martin DB5 Goldfinger movie car complete with James Bond gadgets, as well as a specific group gathering sponsored by Shelby International to celebrate the 101st birthday of Carroll Shelby. Michael Van Runkle, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024 Hostile activity in cyberspace -- from spying to the planting of malware to infect and disrupt a country's infrastructure -- has become a hallmark of modern geopolitical rivalry. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 22 Feb. 2024 Her first big ballad has hung on to its standing as her best big ballad, a soaring emotional prom theme for the ages that somehow breathes new life into a premise as cliched as spying someone hot across a crowded dance floor and moving in for the kill. Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 10 Mar. 2024 Ironically, the best evidence that Oppenheimer never spied for the Russians comes from Soviet intelligence sources. TIME, 8 Mar. 2024 Before the mists part and reveal her new home, the family spies two giant stone dragons, the lanterns in their gaping jaws guiding travelers into the bay. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 7 Mar. 2024 Hostile activity in cyberspace — from spying to the planting of malware to infect and disrupt a country's infrastructure — has become a hallmark of modern geopolitical rivalry. Colleen Long, Quartz, 21 Feb. 2024
Noun
They were brought together when their native village was destroyed by shogunate spies, and torn apart again in the tutorial level during an assassination mission gone awry. Katcy Stephan, Variety, 21 Mar. 2024 Naomie Harris, Pierce Brosnan and Tom Burke have joined the high flying cast of Black Bag, the spy thriller that Steven Soderbergh is directing for Focus Features. Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Mar. 2024 By Anna Gordon March 19, 2024 8:54 AM EDT The iconic film role of James Bond, MI6’s most famous spy, has been offered to 33-year-old British actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson, according to reports from The Sun. Anna Gordon, TIME, 19 Mar. 2024 Elon Musk’s SpaceX is reportedly building a constellation of spy satellites for U.S. intelligence. David Meyer, Fortune, 18 Mar. 2024 Garner starred opposite Garber in the ABC spy drama Alias from 2001 to 2006. Staff Author, Peoplemag, 17 Mar. 2024 We’re treated to the main frame story and then to all these ones within, different stories set in Prague over the span of some four hundred years, from Cold War spy thrillers to a medieval B.D.S.M. Jennifer Wilson, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2024 Despite the war raging around it, the city’s French concession is decadent and full of spies. Patrick Frater, Variety, 10 Mar. 2024 In the 1960s, secret test flights of advanced government spy planes generated U.F.O. sightings. Julian E. Barnes, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of spy was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near spy

Cite this Entry

“Spy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spy. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

spy

1 of 2 verb
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

More from Merriam-Webster on spy

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