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
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Recent Examples of spy
ABC News, 30 Mar. 2026
The Cold War-era Lockheed U-2 Dragon Lady spy plane is getting a major tech upgrade.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 30 Mar. 2026
Literary Hub, 11 Mar. 2026
Battle also alleges that Rojas asked him to spy for her by tracking when Dear’s girlfriend or wife would leave.
—Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spy
Noun
Shiwa Hassanpour, an activist with the human rights monitor Hengaw Organization, based in Iraq’s Kurdish region, said people have been shot for approaching the border, because Iranian forces suspect them of being spies or informants.
—ABC News, 30 Mar. 2026
The Cold War-era Lockheed U-2 Dragon Lady spy plane is getting a major tech upgrade.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 30 Mar. 2026
Verb
My job, bluntly, was to spy, but to do it in a way that wasn’t baldly obvious either.
—Literary Hub, 11 Mar. 2026
Battle also alleges that Rojas asked him to spy for her by tracking when Dear’s girlfriend or wife would leave.
—Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spy
Noun
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The man who crashed an explosive-laden truck into a Michigan synagogue where scores of children were at daycare acted as an operative of Hezbollah, the foreign terrorist organization based in Lebanon, federal officials said March 30.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
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An operative would normally plan to walk alone to a hotel room to avoid being seen with an asset.—
David D. Kirkpatrick,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Here's where hummingbirds have been spotted so far this year and how to attract them to your garden.—
James Powel,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
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In what’s become typical Knicks fashion, the team wearing orange and blue spotted the Rockets a 12-1 lead to start the game — 10 coming from Kevin Durant, who finished with 27 points on 10-of-18 shooting from the field.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Wise served as an FBI agent and a supervisory agent from 2004 to 2017.—
Sarah N. Lynch,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The task force, consisting of county detectives and FBI agents, is separate from the initial homicide squad assigned to the case.—
Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Bessent, who made a similar trip to Texas ahead of the Senate primary, is eyeing additional visits in the run-up to the midterm elections.—
Eleanor Mueller,
semafor.com,
31 Mar. 2026
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The latest move shouldn’t come as that much of a surprise, Meta was already eyeing the existing market of billions of people with imperfect eyesight.—
Will McCurdy,
PC Magazine,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Meanwhile, Chee goes further undercover.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Sources close to production reveal his character is working undercover.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Even her 8-year-old daughter has noticed the impact on the family's spending.—
Da Lin,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
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Increasingly, human resources departments noticed that applicants used the résumé to tell white lies, and even bigger fibs, listing fictitious degrees, fake promotions and other embellishments.—
Stephen Mihm,
Twin Cities,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Enmoladas are similar to enchiladas, but sauced with mole.—
Louisa Kung Liu Chu,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Mar. 2026
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One style of corporate security is a bit like playing whac-a-mole.—
Neil J. Rubenking,
PC Magazine,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Malikah Auguste, a ninth-grader at Cristo Rey and an intern with Miami Lighthouse, saw the impact the visit had on her classmates.—
Christina Mayo,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
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Whizzing by the moon up to 6,000 miles above the surface, the astronauts will also glimpse the celestial body's full disk, seeing sights that not even the Apollo astronauts witnessed.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spy. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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