mole

noun

Definition of molenext
as in spy
a person who tries secretly to obtain information for one country in the territory of another usually unfriendly country for years we have had a mole in the enemy's national intelligence agency

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 mole The day after her dream, Rees went to the doctor, and a nurse checked the mole over. — Adam England, PEOPLE, 2 July 2026 Mexican comfort food known for agua frescas, frozen margaritas, enchiladas (mole, salsa verde and sour cream trio), pambazos and desserts. — Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 June 2026 The film was decried by the LGBT community even in pre-production, as a mole on set allegedly leaked a copy of the screenplay to passionate advocates like Village Voice columnist Arthur Bell. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 11 June 2026 On Watch What Happens Live Tuesday night, Andy Cohen finally identified Jennifer Lawrence as the person who helped Bravo find its mole. — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 10 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for mole
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mole
  1. spy
  2. operative
  3. agent
Noun
  • The concept of spy satellites recording images and sucking up communications signals is well-known.
    — Gerry Doyle, Fortune, 13 July 2026
  • Possession tells the story of a spy (Neill) and his increasingly fraught relationship with his wife (Adjani) who wants a divorce after having an affair.
    — Abid Rahman, HollywoodReporter, 13 July 2026
Definition of spy
Noun
  • Unbeknownst to him, the bottle contained the same nerve agent investigators believe Russian operatives had used three months earlier to poison a former spy in nearby Salisbury.
    — Faith Karimi, CNN Money, 11 July 2026
  • Still, at least one campaign operative — who is listed in FEC records — was able to trade on a race they were involved in, despite Kalshi's new monitoring program.
    — Luke Garrett, NPR, 9 July 2026
Definition of operative
Noun
  • These gateways address growing concerns about ungoverned AI agents directly interacting with production systems, offering vital governance, security, cost management, and observability.
    — Janakiram MSV, Forbes.com, 6 July 2026
  • The agent confiscated the letter, carried by Cuban businessman Roberto Carlos Chamizo, and sent him back to Havana.
    — Romina Ruiz-Goiriena, USA Today, 6 July 2026
Definition of agent

Browse Nearby Words

moldy
mole
molecular
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Mole.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mole. Accessed 17 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on mole

Nglish: Translation of mole for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about mole

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of obdurate

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 17
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
child-detective
Spot the Misspelled Word July 2026 Those little red underlines can't help you now...
See All