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

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

In round one, Vic and Brian are spies, and there’s no Informant or Leak. — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 8 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

That war ended in a humiliating defeat by an enemy regarded as much weaker, and many tsarist officials blamed the outcome on Japanese spies and saboteurs. — Andrei Soldatov, Foreign Affairs, 31 Aug. 2026

And Project Bond is joining quite the collection of spies—er, vessels—on the seas. — Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 26 Aug. 2026

Conspiracy theories — of euthanasia, of sterilization, of American bad intentions involving CIA spies, of viruses bred in pig cells (for those who kept Halal) or monkey cells (to Hindus for whom the macaque is sacred) — were common. — Eli Cahan, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2026

Slow Horses stars Oldman as Lamb, a brilliant but cantankerous leader of dysfunctional spies who have made career-ending mistakes and end up at a dumping ground MI5 unit known as Slough House. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 18 Aug. 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