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
Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
Our spy senses are overactive, leading to paranoia.
—Lisa Stardust, Refinery29, 6 Nov. 2025
Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 22 Oct. 2025
Cryptography underlies everyday financial transactions and online communication, not just spy messages.
—Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spy
Noun
Former Venezuelan spy chief Hugo Carvajal is also named in the indictment.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
Our spy senses are overactive, leading to paranoia.
—Lisa Stardust, Refinery29, 6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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
Cryptography underlies everyday financial transactions and online communication, not just spy messages.
—Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spy
Noun
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Muhammad Ali Hadid, a senior member of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, was eliminated in Nabatieh, while another operative was struck in Ayta ash Shab after being seen collecting intelligence on Israeli positions.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
4 Nov. 2025
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Seasoned political operatives and experienced business executives Steve Silverman and Carrie Goux will lead the Washington office.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The tech can interpret brain scans twice as accurately as professionals examining stroke patients, spot more bone fractures than humans can, and detect early signs of more than 1,000 diseases.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
9 Nov. 2025
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Even Selena Gomez is in on it, as the actress and singer was recently spotted sporting a pair of deep brown Adidas Handball Spezial sneakers, proving that the trend has officially hit the A-list.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The woman, Marimar Martinez, is accused of closely pursuing the agent and ramming into his car.—
Omar Jimenez,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
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The team settled for adding TE Josh Whyle and defensive lineman Arron Mosby from the practice squad to the active roster, but Green Bay is apparently in on one prominent free-agent defensive back as well.—
Michael Gallagher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The White House recently signaled a new security initiative with Qatar, and Riyadh is understood to be eyeing a similar framework with Washington.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
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Top banks from Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, and South Africa are among the newly arrived or expanding institutions over the past 18 months as their leaders eye a market that still produces higher than average banking profits.—
Alexander Onukwue,
semafor.com,
4 Nov. 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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Teams that set meeting windows, encourage short breaks, and support ergonomic basics may notice steadier output and fewer end-of-week slumps, especially when people adjust lighting, seat height, and screen distance to reduce eye strain.—
Jason Phillips,
IndyStar,
11 Nov. 2025
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And when his hospital finally reopened, in February of the following year, doctors began noticing unexpected changes.—
Clayton Dalton,
New Yorker,
11 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Rabbits, moles, and voles can significantly damage young fruit trees in winter.—
Andy Wilcox,
Better Homes & Gardens,
3 Nov. 2025
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Security researchers routinely discover new prompt injection attacks, which AI developers have to continuously try to fix with updates, leading to a constant game of whack-a-mole.—
Kevin Collier,
NBC news,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But travelers could still see flight cuts even if the government were to reopen next week, as the FAA’s order requires airlines to cancel flights days in advance.—
Emma Tucker,
CNN Money,
8 Nov. 2025
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Roaches were seen in the restrooms.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spy. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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