as in spotted
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spied
Idling along the road one day for a lunch break, Campos spied someone building houses.
—
Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 17 Jan. 2026
The organization added that Stone spied Mo on the red carpet, posed for a few photos with the pup, and then decided the dog would be the perfect pet for her youngest son, Quinn.
—Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 13 Jan. 2026
Where skeptics spied a bubble, the revolution’s leaders saw the dawn of a new era of abundance.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 11 Dec. 2025
The real story of Barbie’s origins is much messier, and more interesting—especially as told in Barbieland, Tarpley Hitt’s rollicking tale of how Mattel spied, copied and stole its way to market dominance, then fought with military intensity to compel us to buy more and more.
—Literary Hub, 11 Dec. 2025
The origin story has it that in 1953 Ernie Blake, a Swiss-German transplant, flew in a little four-seater over northern New Mexico, spied the epic possibility in a steep, north-facing slope, then set to work, clearing and constructing his idea of a perfect ski mountain.
—Michael Paterniti, Travel + Leisure, 14 Nov. 2025
McCann spied an errant pumpkin.
—Ben McGrath, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
The relative then spied a dead dog on an interstate nearby, and assumed the canine was Randy since both dogs had the same shading.
—Tj MacIas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Oct. 2025
Astronomers spied the bare black hole using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) — a mega-instrument built by NASA and its partners in part to reveal how galaxies formed during the universe’s first billion years.
—Quanta Magazine, 12 Sep. 2025
Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 17 Jan. 2026
The organization added that Stone spied Mo on the red carpet, posed for a few photos with the pup, and then decided the dog would be the perfect pet for her youngest son, Quinn.
—Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 13 Jan. 2026
Where skeptics spied a bubble, the revolution’s leaders saw the dawn of a new era of abundance.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 11 Dec. 2025
The real story of Barbie’s origins is much messier, and more interesting—especially as told in Barbieland, Tarpley Hitt’s rollicking tale of how Mattel spied, copied and stole its way to market dominance, then fought with military intensity to compel us to buy more and more.
—Literary Hub, 11 Dec. 2025
The origin story has it that in 1953 Ernie Blake, a Swiss-German transplant, flew in a little four-seater over northern New Mexico, spied the epic possibility in a steep, north-facing slope, then set to work, clearing and constructing his idea of a perfect ski mountain.
—Michael Paterniti, Travel + Leisure, 14 Nov. 2025
McCann spied an errant pumpkin.
—Ben McGrath, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
The relative then spied a dead dog on an interstate nearby, and assumed the canine was Randy since both dogs had the same shading.
—Tj MacIas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Oct. 2025
Astronomers spied the bare black hole using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) — a mega-instrument built by NASA and its partners in part to reveal how galaxies formed during the universe’s first billion years.
—Quanta Magazine, 12 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spied
Verb
-
The steppe went on and on, and any danger in it could be spotted from afar.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Jan. 2026
-
The team spotted the distant quasar, an actively feeding supermassive black hole, using observations from the Subaru Telescope.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
While working in a technical sales role at Amazon, Hua noticed that this same gap between IQ and EQ was a challenge for many people.—
Kevin Kruse,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Her friends noticed the changes; at a point, her best friend learned of the encounter and, to her surprise, was not curious about her encounters with a celebrity other than to ask if the Sochi incident was consensual.—
Kevin Dolak,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
During the trial, jurors learned about grim Google searches Brian had made after his wife died, including how to saw a body and how to clean blood off of wood floors.—
Nicole Acosta,
PEOPLE,
18 Dec. 2025
-
Fanatics shared the moment Tennessee Titans first overall pick, quarterback Cam Ward, saw Brady pop up on the screen to give him some wise words.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Back in October, ESPN reported Antetokounmpo had eyed the Knicks as a possible destination, and that the Knicks and Bucks discussed what a trade might look like.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Reports of a second building in Durant While not mentioned by The Washington Post, a second ICE detention center is reportedly being eyed for Durant, in the Choctaw Nation.—
Isa Almeida,
Oklahoman,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
He is widely regarded for his offensive play-calling and ability to maximize output from his quarterbacks.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The complex is built on Temple Mount, which is regarded as Judaism’s holiest place as the site of two ancient temples.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spied.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spied. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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