as in espionage
the secret gathering of information on others
traditionally, anyone caught engaging in spying during wartime was shot or hanged
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in spotting
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 spying
Jason Willick, Washington Post, 6 June 2026
The Five Eyes, which has its roots in US-UK cooperation during World War II, is one of the world’s most comprehensive spying alliances.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 4 June 2026
The Space Force budget has grown significantly in recent years, and one of its mandates is countering spying and potentially hostile acts by Russian and Chinese spacecraft in these orbits.
—Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 2 June 2026
Another possible complication is if any more evidence emerges of further spying on teams who missed out on automatic promotion or qualification for the play-offs.
—Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 21 May 2026
His lawyer, John Carman, said federal prosecutors dressed up a mundane paperwork case with specious suggestions that Lu was involved in spying and intelligence gathering.
—ABC News, 13 May 2026
Concerns have been raised over such instances of alleged spying on Jewish communities, prompting some to call on the government to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a terrorist organization.
—Olivia-Anne Cleary, Time, 3 May 2026
But the company continues to face accusations that its products pose a spying threat that China could leverage.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 22 Apr. 2026
But the line between collaborating for lawful national security purposes versus unlawful domestic spying is becoming dangerously blurred or ignored.
—Anne Toomey McKenna, The Conversation, 21 Apr. 2026
Dean Jones, New York Times, 23 May 2026
The incident comes as relations between the two countries remain at a historic low over the Ukraine war and longstanding spying allegations.
—CBS News, 20 May 2026
In November, a Sanaa court convicted 17 people of spying for foreign governments and sentenced them to death.
—ABC News, 18 May 2026
But as examples like those above illustrate, there’s little reason for companies to resort to outright spying like this, because users simply can’t wait to divulge the most intimate details of their minds and bodies voluntarily.
—Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 14 May 2026
Everything about this, particularly the spying part, seems positivily Hitchcockian.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 14 May 2026
Republican infighting was on full display as Johnson struggled to cobble together the votes needed to advance a farm bill, extend a critical government spying program, and end the record-long Department of Homeland Security shutdown.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 9 May 2026
They are believed to be the first people to have been convicted of spying for China in Britain, local media reported.
—Reuters, CNN Money, 8 May 2026
John offers to marry Claire to protect her when the British Army wants to arrest her for spying.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 26 Mar. 2026
Noun
Congress seemed likely to renew the FISA provision at the last minute despite bipartisan concerns about the scope of government spying.
—Jason Willick, Washington Post, 6 June 2026
The Five Eyes, which has its roots in US-UK cooperation during World War II, is one of the world’s most comprehensive spying alliances.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 4 June 2026
The Space Force budget has grown significantly in recent years, and one of its mandates is countering spying and potentially hostile acts by Russian and Chinese spacecraft in these orbits.
—Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 2 June 2026
Another possible complication is if any more evidence emerges of further spying on teams who missed out on automatic promotion or qualification for the play-offs.
—Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 21 May 2026
His lawyer, John Carman, said federal prosecutors dressed up a mundane paperwork case with specious suggestions that Lu was involved in spying and intelligence gathering.
—ABC News, 13 May 2026
Concerns have been raised over such instances of alleged spying on Jewish communities, prompting some to call on the government to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a terrorist organization.
—Olivia-Anne Cleary, Time, 3 May 2026
But the company continues to face accusations that its products pose a spying threat that China could leverage.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 22 Apr. 2026
But the line between collaborating for lawful national security purposes versus unlawful domestic spying is becoming dangerously blurred or ignored.
—Anne Toomey McKenna, The Conversation, 21 Apr. 2026
Verb
But Southampton’s expulsion following the spying scandal has handed Middlesbrough an extraordinary reprieve — and the betting market has reacted in their favour.
—Dean Jones, New York Times, 23 May 2026
The incident comes as relations between the two countries remain at a historic low over the Ukraine war and longstanding spying allegations.
—CBS News, 20 May 2026
In November, a Sanaa court convicted 17 people of spying for foreign governments and sentenced them to death.
—ABC News, 18 May 2026
But as examples like those above illustrate, there’s little reason for companies to resort to outright spying like this, because users simply can’t wait to divulge the most intimate details of their minds and bodies voluntarily.
—Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 14 May 2026
Everything about this, particularly the spying part, seems positivily Hitchcockian.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 14 May 2026
Republican infighting was on full display as Johnson struggled to cobble together the votes needed to advance a farm bill, extend a critical government spying program, and end the record-long Department of Homeland Security shutdown.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 9 May 2026
They are believed to be the first people to have been convicted of spying for China in Britain, local media reported.
—Reuters, CNN Money, 8 May 2026
John offers to marry Claire to protect her when the British Army wants to arrest her for spying.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 26 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spying
Noun
-
Instead of adapting a specific film or book from the past 60 years of Bond history, 007 First Light is developer IO Interactive's origin story for its own continuity, starring a younger take on the agent at the start of his espionage journey.—
Jordan Minor,
PC Magazine,
1 June 2026
-
And James Bond works on a similar frequency, now more a figure of myth—author Ian Fleming died more than six decades ago—than any sort of direct commentary on the merits of western espionage.—
Alex James Kane,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
Instead of just releasing Mythos, which proved in testing to be adept at spotting security holes, Anthropic initially made the model available to 11 organizations, including Club names CrowdStrike and Palo Alto Networks .—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
4 June 2026
-
But don’t bank on spotting them yourself…there’s a secret back room with its own private entrance for their many VIP clientele.—
Shay Spence,
PEOPLE,
3 June 2026
Verb
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According to the Irvine Police Department, Chen installed cameras in their family's home after noticing a change of flavor in his drink and feeling ill for weeks.—
Desiree Anello,
PEOPLE,
30 May 2026
-
After applying to more than 3,000 jobs and internships over his time in school, the 23-year-old began noticing employers were no longer asking only for traditional computer science skills.—
Lisa Chambers,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
Both teams are looking for a healthy seven-game series, but the Knicks seeing their best scorer heading off the court early isn't the way the Eastern Conference champions wanted to kick off their first trip to the NBA Finals since 1999 against these same Spurs.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
4 June 2026
-
What stayed with me most was seeing how much children respond to even the smallest acts of kindness.—
Brittany Talarico,
PEOPLE,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
Garrett makes the point, yep, Democrats are going to be eyeing it.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
31 May 2026
-
His $10 million adaptation of his viral YouTube short film series is eyeing the biggest opening in A24 history, with at least $80 million.—
Aaron Couch,
HollywoodReporter,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
Though there are still many unknowns regarding the full effect of ayahuasca on the human experience, if my own is any indication, the mental and emotional gates this plant can open seem promising.—
Michaela Trimble,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 June 2026
-
Outreach regarding the requirements and implications of the new law should begin immediately.—
Jesse Pines,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
Verb
-
The guides are top-notch and tailor each driver to meet your wildlife-viewing goals.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
-
For skywatchers in or traveling to Manhattan during the next viewing opportunity, the east-to-west streets with the clearest viewing opportunities are 14th, 23rd, 34th, 42nd and 57th street.—
Chelsea Gohd,
Space.com,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spying. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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