Synonyms of spies

spies 1 of 2

noun

plural of spy

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

• operatives
• agents
• assets
• informers
• moles
• spooks
• emissaries
• undercover agents
• secret agents
• undercovers
• couriers
• intelligencers
• infiltrators
• sleepers
• counterspies
• double agents
• spymasters
• stool pigeons
• superspies

spies

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of spy

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

• notices
• eyes
• spots
• sees
• regards
• witnesses
• sights
• espies
• watches
• looks (at)
• remarks
• notes
• views
• perceives
• observes
• discerns
• catches
• beholds
• distinguishes
• sets eyes on
• lays eyes on
• gets a load of
• descries
• identifies
• picks out
• considers
• scans
• attends (to)
• surveys
• glimpses
• studies
• minds
• inspects
• heeds
• scrutinizes
• marks
• makes out
• examines
• picks up
• peers (at)
• glances (at)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ignores
• passes over
• neglects
• disregards
• misses
• overpasses
• overlooks

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of spies

Noun

In 2010, 11 deep-cover Russian spies were arrested across the United States, sending shockwaves around the globe. — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 5 Oct. 2026

Last year, Ken McCallum, MI5’s director-general, said Chinese spies poseda daily national security threat, and were creating fake job adverts to try to lure British professionals into handing over information. — CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026

The Nazis had a lot of spies in Hungary, even though von Hatz wasn’t one of them. — Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026

Oasis featured for the first time in a Saturday Night Live UK cold open over the weekend, with the Gallagher brothers revealing themselves as Russian spies after almost convincing Prime Minister Andy Burnham to join them. — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2026

The ruling leaves one of the country’s top tech firms branded with the kind of label once reserved for foreign companies suspected of helping spies. — Ian Duncan, Washington Post, 25 Sep. 2026

Five categories of spies are described, and espionage is treated as essential to providing rulers and commanders with the foreknowledge needed to make informed strategic decisions. — Ethan Teekah, Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Sep. 2026

Beyond bioweapons, Russia spies Anthropic also uncovered a Russian espionage operation that used Claude to automate much of its cyber campaign. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 10 Sep. 2026

As the Alpha Gang spies subtly on one another, the camera peers through their binoculars (also branded with AG). — Cortlyn Kelly, IndieWire, 8 Sep. 2026

Verb

Late one night, Clark spies what appears to be a sliver of light coming through a crack in the wall of the store’s basement. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 14 June 2026

In Giovanni Battista Tiepolo’s The Finding of Moses, a dog spies a young girl whose presence unlocks the painting’s meaning. — Boris Kachka, The Atlantic, 5 June 2026

In the 8-episode sci-fi adventure series premiering May 21, residents of a retirement community in New Mexico join forces after its newest occupant, widow Sam Cooper (Alfred Molina), spies a monstrous creature. — Erin Jensen, USA Today, 20 May 2026

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