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

The crew might also spy distinct flashes of light as space rocks strike the moon — or dust floating above the edge of the moon, a mysterious phenomenon scientists have yet to understand fully. —Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 21 Feb. 2026

But there’s no snow on the 101 Freeway near Thousand Oaks — which might come as a surprise to those who spied an errant travel alert from the California Department of Transportation. —Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026

Noun

The regime accused protesters of being Israeli spies and deployed the brutal local paramilitary Basij force to suppress demonstrations which were sparked by poor economic conditions but transformed into calls for regime change. —Farida Elsebai, CNN Money, 20 Feb. 2026

The suit, which sought damages and the installation of a federal monitor at the NYPD, also alleged that ousted former Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey installed spies in Donlon’s office and that Adams’ NYPD brass thwarted internal misconduct investigations. —Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 19 Feb. 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