as in operatives
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 notices
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
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Recent Examples of spies
Denise Petski, Deadline, 24 Mar. 2026
These mechanical quadrupeds, made by the likes of Boston Dynamics and Ghost Robotics, can patrol premises, scanning the perimeter for intruders, spies, and other ne’er-do-wells, and sound the alarm when holes in fences or other suspicious things are detected.
—Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 19 Mar. 2026
Assad was a counterterrorism case officer responsible for spotting, assessing, and recruiting spies; Rigby Assad was a counterintelligence interrogator.
—Adam Ciralsky, Vanity Fair, 19 Mar. 2026
On the Beach, Cold War spies, and a certain fictional cat named Virtute.
—Hazlitt, 11 Mar. 2026
The monotone transmission recalled the manner in which deep-cover Cold War spies for the KGB and CIA once received orders.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2026
There are weird tech and conspiracy theories threaded throughout, from Lucy's AI copy of her dead wife to space age biotech to spies who might coincidentally be serial killer victims.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 10 Mar. 2026
The plot follows their high-stakes race to identify and capture spies who have leaked classified intelligence.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 9 Mar. 2026
These were spies and infiltrators.
—Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2026
Amy Wilkinson, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Feb. 2026
Alma peers through a keyhole and spies her mother (Susanne Wuest) standing before a candlelit shrine to the family’s dead.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2025
And when Clara spies her classmate Miller Adams (Mason Thames) along the roadside, and decides to give him a ride, the film introduces a next-generation complication-that-isn’t-really-one.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 22 Oct. 2025
When Leo first spies the orphaned Josie singing on a Boston street corner, he’s struck by her resemblance to the Pendleton family, his father’s former employers and the victims of great tragedy when their baby was kidnapped in 1880.
—EW.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Noun
Byunghun and Jimin will play the undercover spies.
—Denise Petski, Deadline, 24 Mar. 2026
These mechanical quadrupeds, made by the likes of Boston Dynamics and Ghost Robotics, can patrol premises, scanning the perimeter for intruders, spies, and other ne’er-do-wells, and sound the alarm when holes in fences or other suspicious things are detected.
—Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 19 Mar. 2026
Assad was a counterterrorism case officer responsible for spotting, assessing, and recruiting spies; Rigby Assad was a counterintelligence interrogator.
—Adam Ciralsky, Vanity Fair, 19 Mar. 2026
On the Beach, Cold War spies, and a certain fictional cat named Virtute.
—Hazlitt, 11 Mar. 2026
The monotone transmission recalled the manner in which deep-cover Cold War spies for the KGB and CIA once received orders.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2026
There are weird tech and conspiracy theories threaded throughout, from Lucy's AI copy of her dead wife to space age biotech to spies who might coincidentally be serial killer victims.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 10 Mar. 2026
The plot follows their high-stakes race to identify and capture spies who have leaked classified intelligence.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 9 Mar. 2026
These were spies and infiltrators.
—Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2026
Verb
When Claire and Frank retreat to Inverness on holiday following the end of WWII, Frank spies the spectre of a Highlander staring up into Claire's window that abruptly vanishes.
—Amy Wilkinson, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Feb. 2026
Alma peers through a keyhole and spies her mother (Susanne Wuest) standing before a candlelit shrine to the family’s dead.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2025
And when Clara spies her classmate Miller Adams (Mason Thames) along the roadside, and decides to give him a ride, the film introduces a next-generation complication-that-isn’t-really-one.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 22 Oct. 2025
When Leo first spies the orphaned Josie singing on a Boston street corner, he’s struck by her resemblance to the Pendleton family, his father’s former employers and the victims of great tragedy when their baby was kidnapped in 1880.
—EW.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spies
Noun
-
That summer, Cohen and a team of DOGE operatives touched down at the NRC offices, a series of nondescript towers across from a Dunkin’ in suburban Maryland.—
Avi Asher-Schapiro,
ProPublica,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Or for the suggestion that Chinese intelligence operatives were roaming near sensitive sites with impunity.—
Adam Ciralsky,
Vanity Fair,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Paula notices that every time her husband leaves the house, the lights in the home dim minutes later.—
Emma Bowman,
NPR,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Shortly after arriving at the Hotel Providence, the narrator notices that the building is situated across the street from a church that once hosted an experimental theater space.—
Hannah Gold,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Congress’s February efforts to resolve the shutdown were complicated by the lawless ICE campaign in Minneapolis, where federal agents killed two American citizens during a brutal crackdown on protests.—
Benjamin Wallace-Wells,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
-
The Keep Air Travel Safe Act, filed in October, extended the protection to Transportation Security Administration agents.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The hiring spree comes as the company shifts more aggressively toward enterprise sales and tries to regain momentum against Anthropic and Google, and as the company eyes a possible IPO within the next 12 months.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
24 Mar. 2026
-
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
Verb
-
All-American Madison Booker thrives in the midrange, while senior Rori Harmon pesters along the perimeter and Jordan Lee spots up for buckets.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Across the room, Alex spots Mary, who is drawing people in effortlessly.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Many employers are increasingly relying on rolling or phased layoffs, meaning the public often sees announcements weeks or months before job losses actually begin.—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Canales, in particular, sees the upside in the addition, not only for Carolina, but Pickett as well.—
Mike Kaye
March 31,
Charlotte Observer,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spies. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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