as in operative
a person who tries secretly to obtain information for one country in the territory of another usually unfriendly country
the government spy risked his life every day in the fight against global terrorism
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in to spot
to make note of (something) through the use of one's eyes
I spy a motel off in the distance, so let's spend the night there
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of spy
Alex Riggins, Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2025
This is in contrast to the National Reconnaissance Office, which owns the US government's fleet of spy satellites.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 12 Aug. 2025
Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 11 Aug. 2025
The official trailer follows a brief teaser released in May 2025 that highlights old and new characters, as well as a variety of different underwater, desert, urban, and mountainous landscapes.
Also spied?
—EW.com, 30 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for spy
Noun
Between March 2022 and Wei’s arrest in August 2023, the spy allegedly paid Wei thousands of dollars in exchange for photographs and videos of the Essex, information about the location of various Navy ships and details about the Essex’s defensive weapons, according to prosecutors.
—Alex Riggins, Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2025
This is in contrast to the National Reconnaissance Office, which owns the US government's fleet of spy satellites.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 12 Aug. 2025
Verb
The Kremlin has spied a rapprochement with Washington as an opportunity not only for an economic recovery, but investment.
—Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 11 Aug. 2025
The official trailer follows a brief teaser released in May 2025 that highlights old and new characters, as well as a variety of different underwater, desert, urban, and mountainous landscapes.
Also spied?
—EW.com, 30 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for spy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spy
Noun
-
The show centers on David Jung (Daniel Dae Kim), an enigmatic and highly unpredictable former U.S. intelligence operative living in South Korea, whose life is shattered when the consequences of an impossible decision from his past come back to haunt him.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
27 Aug. 2025
-
According to an email dated February 16, Park, one of the two DOGE operatives at SBA, appears to have set up the @DOGE_SBA account, receiving an email confirmation from X for adding a phone number, which was redacted, to their account.—
Vittoria Elliott,
Wired News,
20 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The great gymnast Simone Biles was in the stands, and Gauff spotted her.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
31 Aug. 2025
-
Nevertheless, the mother of two received some criticism online for not attempting to rescue Chance immediately after spotting him.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
People.com,
30 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Sanctuary communities often restrict local law enforcement from working directly with federal immigration agents, in hopes that immigrants – including those without permanent legal status – will feel safe enough to report crimes.—
Lauren Villagran,
USA Today,
28 Aug. 2025
-
So if there isn’t a sudden preference for old over new, and real estate agents like Weingarten say there isn’t, then what explains the anomaly in the aggregate, national level data?—
Brandon Kochkodin,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Other teams eyed him in the undrafted portion of free agency, and some are monitoring the Vikings’ decision now.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
22 Aug. 2025
-
The probe is eyeing multiple instances of the use of classified documents in leaks to the news media.—
Dan Mangan,
CNBC,
22 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Meanwhile, the police send in state trooper Billy Costigan (DiCaprio) undercover to infiltrate Costello’s crime organization.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
1 Aug. 2025
-
Michael Fassbender stars as Martian, a CIA spy who’s recalled to London after years of living deep undercover in Ethiopia.—
Manuel Betancourt,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2025
Verb
-
Police noticed that Landum’s truck did not have a front license plate and made contact with the rapper about that problem.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
22 Aug. 2025
-
Looking over the data for evidence of supernovas, Schulze noticed an object that rapidly increased in brightness 2.2 billion light-years from Earth.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
22 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Over five nail-biting episodes, Dalton and Toussaint must identify the individuals threatening their lives and families, prevent their political demise and track down moles within their ranks who might be disseminating information across enemy lines.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
24 Aug. 2025
-
Pointing out Nix’s flaws seems like criticizing Cindy Crawford’s mole.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
16 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Anyone who sees Hatfield is asked to call the Hamilton County Sheriff's Detective Laura Beckwith at 513-500-1533.—
David Ferrara,
The Enquirer,
26 Aug. 2025
-
Remove personal information from your account that others can see, such as your telephone number or address. Don’t accept friend requests from strangers.—
Susan Tompor,
Freep.com,
26 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spy. Accessed 4 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share