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
Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2026
Dreeke helped catch foreign spies operating on American soil.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA Today, 26 Feb. 2026
The only people who crossed the front, really, were spies.
—Literary Hub, 24 Feb. 2026
The Cuban spies provided the flight information and the MiG pilots carried out the mission.
—Hank Tester, CBS News, 24 Feb. 2026
The regime accused protesters of being Israeli spies and deployed the brutal local paramilitary Basij force to suppress demonstrations which were sparked by poor economic conditions but transformed into calls for regime change.
—Farida Elsebai, CNN Money, 20 Feb. 2026
The suit, which sought damages and the installation of a federal monitor at the NYPD, also alleged that ousted former Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey installed spies in Donlon’s office and that Adams’ NYPD brass thwarted internal misconduct investigations.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 19 Feb. 2026
But his past followed him, as his past involvement in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests made him and his daughter the targets of spies in 2022.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 18 Feb. 2026
In this Boehringer Ingelheim ad, Octavia Spencer and Sofia Vergara play — spies?
—Damian Garde, STAT, 5 Feb. 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
The indelible action-adventure of a pair of kids (Daryl Sabara and Alexa PenaVega) who find out their parents (Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino) are spies and must go rescue them is so goofy and entertaining.
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2026
Dreeke helped catch foreign spies operating on American soil.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA Today, 26 Feb. 2026
The only people who crossed the front, really, were spies.
—Literary Hub, 24 Feb. 2026
The Cuban spies provided the flight information and the MiG pilots carried out the mission.
—Hank Tester, CBS News, 24 Feb. 2026
The regime accused protesters of being Israeli spies and deployed the brutal local paramilitary Basij force to suppress demonstrations which were sparked by poor economic conditions but transformed into calls for regime change.
—Farida Elsebai, CNN Money, 20 Feb. 2026
The suit, which sought damages and the installation of a federal monitor at the NYPD, also alleged that ousted former Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey installed spies in Donlon’s office and that Adams’ NYPD brass thwarted internal misconduct investigations.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 19 Feb. 2026
But his past followed him, as his past involvement in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests made him and his daughter the targets of spies in 2022.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 18 Feb. 2026
In this Boehringer Ingelheim ad, Octavia Spencer and Sofia Vergara play — spies?
—Damian Garde, STAT, 5 Feb. 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
-
Using a special encryption code, the operatives could translate the numerals into a readable message.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Republican operatives have pointed to Kim’s lukewarm support of the president in previous years.—
Rachel Schilke,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The district board voted last month to issue preliminary layoff notices for more than 400 district employees.—
Jennah Pendleton,
Sacbee.com,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Vanderpump notices details other guests miss, and bad lighting tops her list of hotel sins.—
David Morris,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Escobar also met with a detainee from Ecuador who said his arm had been broken during a violent arrest by immigration agents in Minnesota.—
Morgan Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2026
-
The white phosphorus then ignites and burns intensely, destroying the agents by incinerating them – a method meant to reduce the risk of spreading the materials and to limit potential harm to civilians and the surrounding environment.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Mar. 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
-
SacRT will be using the data to perform field surveys of the danger spots and come up with potential safety ideas.—
James Taylor,
CBS News,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Bateman’s festival comes at a moment when Gen AI is starting to engulf Hollywood and creative work, as Seedance videos featuring Hollywood celebs go viral, Sora is gaining a foothold via Disney’s deal with OpenAI and Super Bowl spots fully incorporate the tech.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
One notable recent addition is the Buyers’ Upfront, an invitation-only event for acquisition execs that takes place in the Lille Chamber of Commerce and sees a roster of series presented to buyers.—
Stewart Clarke,
Deadline,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Produced by Fantawild Animation, the 12th feature in the franchise sees Briar, Bramble, and Vick embark on an adventure into a mysterious ancient forest.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spies. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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