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
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
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Recent Examples of spy
Dane Brugler, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2025
Lisbeth Salander is part Western hero, part expert hacker, part international spy and part Pippi Longstocking.
—Anders De La Motte, PEOPLE, 28 Sep. 2025
Benj Edwards, ArsTechnica, 17 Sep. 2025
In recent years, the hotel’s sleek, 1930s-style duplexes, which have views of the Chanel atelier, had sometimes been booked by fashion bloggers hoping to spy—but no longer.
—Leslie Camhi, Travel + Leisure, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spy
Noun
Though Curry got the stats in the box score, the Buckeyes’ coverage, including a spy — usually Arvell Reese — deserves just as much credit for limiting Washington’s offense.
—Dane Brugler, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2025
Lisbeth Salander is part Western hero, part expert hacker, part international spy and part Pippi Longstocking.
—Anders De La Motte, PEOPLE, 28 Sep. 2025
Verb
In a December 2023 Slate editorial, security researcher Bruce Schneier warned that AI models could enable unprecedented mass spying by automating the analysis and summarization of vast conversation datasets.
—Benj Edwards, ArsTechnica, 17 Sep. 2025
In recent years, the hotel’s sleek, 1930s-style duplexes, which have views of the Chanel atelier, had sometimes been booked by fashion bloggers hoping to spy—but no longer.
—Leslie Camhi, Travel + Leisure, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spy
Noun
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Privately, political operatives from both sides concede that government shutdowns are bad for both parties.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
1 Oct. 2025
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Once the candidate is defined with a platform backfilled with extensive details, then allow the political operatives to take that platform out into social media with an out-of-the-box approach like some of the earlier suggestions.—
Jordan King,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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On third-and-11 in the first quarter, Iamaleava spotted a sliver of daylight that wasn’t there a blink before and turned it into a 22-yard jailbreak up the gut, gliding past white jerseys.—
Cameron Teague Robinson,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
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Mother and son were moving toward the back when Jasper spotted the shooter.—
Georgea Kovanis,
Freep.com,
5 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Federal immigration agents carried out a weeklong enforcement campaign across central Florida that led to the arrest of more than 400 migrants without legal status, officials say.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
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His plan is to pose as a Fish & Wildlife agent, there to question Catalina’s husband about poaching … and then what?—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Berkshire Hathaway reportedly eyeing $10 billion deal.—
Yeo Boon Ping,
CNBC,
1 Oct. 2025
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Just in case Riverdale — with its musical numbers, supernatural storylines, and epic highs and lows of high school football — wasn’t bonkers enough for your liking, Archie and the gang are eyeing a return to TV.—
Andy Swift,
TVLine,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Four other agents accompanied me, all also operating undercover.—
Martin Suarez,
Rolling Stone,
13 Sep. 2025
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Season 2 of the hit Paramount+ series will continue following Martian (Michael Fassbender), a CIA agent living undercover in his own life.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In August, a single-engine Piper PA-28 crash landed on southbound Interstate 805 in Sorrento Valley after the pilot noticed the engine was sputtering and losing power.—
Teri Figueroa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 Sep. 2025
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For almost the entire bloated two-hour run time, Black keeps his foot on the accelerator in the hope that audiences won’t notice the haphazard, barely logical plotting.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Other live cameras monitoring elephants, lions and naked mole-rats also remain active during the shutdown.—
Sudiksha Kochi,
USA Today,
2 Oct. 2025
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Let your grass grow too tall before winter, and voles, moles, and other rodents may move in.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Unfortunately, fans won't be able to see LeBron or Luka on the court with the team for Friday's game, though.—
Matthew Couden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Oct. 2025
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Many who took the survey saw Goldberg-Polin as too moral to get involved in the rough and tumble world of Israel’s fractious political scene.—
Romina Ruiz-Goiriena,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spy. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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