SPY Synonyms: 67 Similar and Opposite Words

spy 1 of 2

noun

Definition of spy

as in operative

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

spy

2 of 2

verb

ˈspī

as in to spot

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of spy

Noun

The book pointed to Flynn’s longtime friendship with an Austrian tropical medicine doctor who did become a Nazi spy. — Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026 The Oscar winner stars as Dusko Popov, the Serbian spy who served as a primary inspiration for the character of James Bond, in Simon West’s upcoming World War II action comedy Fortitude. — Marina Watts, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Sep. 2026

Verb

Next, astronomers spied several exoplanets that are gas giants like Jupiter—but in orbits so tight that these worlds practically skim the surfaces of their stars. — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 21 Aug. 2026 The White House instituted the ban citing the threat of foreign entities potentially spying or conducting sabotage through the robots. — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 20 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for spy

Recent Examples of Synonyms for spy

Noun

Neither allowed al-Qaeda to establish new training camps, and Pakistani authorities, in particular, regularly helped the United States arrest and kill the group’s operatives.

— Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 8 Sep. 2026
Locals still had to do shopping in the nearby city of Uruapan, where Mayor Carlos Manzo was gunned down by a cartel operative last year, and work on their farms in the mountains.

— Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of operative

Verb

Some Cardinals players were spotted in their dugout ahead of the game sporting crooked caps, and one player incorporated a slight hat-tilting motion into his post-hit celebration.

— Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
But back home in the 305, Brady and Earle were never spotted together again, at least in public, and talk of their possible budding situationship sputtered.

— Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of spot

Verb

The Japanese 10-year yield rose 6 basis points on Tuesday to nudge above 3% for the first time since 1996 as investors eye fiscal pressures in the country’s upcoming budget.

— Jenni Reid, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2026
The distributor’s event film Legend of the White Dragon is eyeing $529k from limited screenings at 596 theaters.

— Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of eye

Noun

Steinem spent 11 days working undercover as a bunny in Manhattan's Playboy Club and documenting her experience.

— Jennifer Hassan, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
Federal prosecutors accused Heidi Beirich, an expert on political extremism and a former director of the nonprofit’s intelligence project, of overseeing payments to informants working undercover in a variety of hate groups.

— Jeremy Roebuck, Washington Post, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of undercover

Verb

Nope, the way van den Berg is wired, nothing else made sense but a full-launch cannonball and a hope that everyone around him might notice the splash.

— Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Fans of the 1998 cult classic are sure to notice that Bullock’s character Sally Owens’s daughters, Kylie and Antonia, have been recast.

— Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of notice

Noun

Following the devastating Russian cyberattack of Season 1, the GCHQ team discovers evidence of a mole while a new Chinese cyber threat begins targeting the British government.

— Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
This is partly what propels his mole demi-glace, a convergence of inspirations realized in a duck and smoked chicken stock sharpened by the foundational components of mole.

— Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of mole

Verb

Emmys nights one and two saw Widow’s Bay pick up a whopping eight trophies, one short of The Studio’s total of nine last year, and this evening might end with Widow’s Bay grabbing a lot of the same awards The Studio did last year.

— Vulture Staff, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026
The bookshelf becomes a collective record of the times, ways of seeing, forms that flourished during particular eras, and also questions that persist across centuries.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of see

Browse Nearby Words

sputum

spy

spying

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Spy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spy. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of spy

noun

verb

Example Sentences

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