as in notices
to make note of (something) through the use of one's eyes
out of the corner of my eye I espied the squirrel making another raid on the bird feeder
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for espies
Verb
-
His friend Tanya, excuse me, partner in content creation, notices blood pouring out from his back.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
30 Jan. 2026 -
Except Cousins notices the teapot is empty and so is the cup.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Opgenhaffen sees particular opportunity in modernizing the traditional South Asian eye look — updating the classic coal liner with plum shades and browns that can transition from day to evening.—
Ritu Upadhyay,
Footwear News,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Downs says maintenance issues are what his crew sees the most.—
Alysia Burgio,
CBS News,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Subsequently, the filmmaker became enamored with airplanes and transferred that same fascination onto Lil Ant, who eyes the planes overhead with palpable yearning and, at one point, shoplifts a toy plane from a store.—
Vikram Murthi,
IndieWire,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Talarico’s numbers are notable and underscore the Senate Democratic primary will be hard-fought as the party eyes the chance to flip a Senate seat in the Lone Star State.—
Caroline Vakil,
The Hill,
2 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The pamphlets include information on how to use the whistle if someone spots immigration agents in the neighborhood and the phone number for Voces de la Frontera’s rapid response hotline.—
Alyssa N. Salcedo,
jsonline.com,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Occasionally took off to spend months chasing waves around the world at some of the greatest surf spots, endless summering it.—
Scott Eden,
Rolling Stone,
1 Feb. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Espies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/espies. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
