Synonyms of spying

spying 1 of 2

noun

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

• espionage
• counterintelligence
• counterespionage
• surveillance
• wiretapping
• reconnaissance
• intelligence
• eavesdropping
• bugging
• observation
• cloak-and-dagger
• tradecraft
• lowdown
• dope
• goods

spying

2 of 2

verb

present participle of spy

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

• spotting
• noticing
• seeing
• eyeing
• regarding
• viewing
• watching
• observing
• remarking
• looking (at)
• espying
• perceiving
• witnessing
• sighting
• catching
• beholding
• noting
• discerning
• distinguishing
• descrying
• getting a load of
• identifying
• scanning
• surveying
• setting eyes on
• laying eyes on
• considering
• studying
• inspecting
• picking out
• scrutinizing
• attending (to)
• examining
• marking
• making out
• heeding
• glimpsing
• peering (at)
• glancing (at)
• picking up
• minding

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ignoring
• neglecting
• disregarding
• passing over
• missing
• overlooking
• overpassing

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of spying

Noun

Sultanov was first arrested by Cypriot police in June 2025 on spying and terror charges and has been in custody since, Britain's Counter Terror police confirmed to AFP. — Mark Osborne, CBS News, 31 July 2026

In the meantime, defense officials, concerned about potential spying, have banned the inexpensive Chinese components that many drone manufacturers use to keep costs low. — Anna Mulrine Grobe, Christian Science Monitor, 31 July 2026

On the advanced robots, the White House pointed to the potential spying threat since the machines are outfitted with sensors and can be remotely controlled. — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 28 July 2026

However, these technological advances are not widely deployed due in part to concerns from privacy activists, who maintain they necessitate backdoors that could be exploited by governments and nefarious actors to enable wholesale spying. — Charlie Campbell, Time, 20 July 2026

Italy and Poland cracked down on alleged spying by Russia, moves that come as analysts warned that the Kremlin may be looking to expand its use of hybrid warfare as its battlefield efforts in Ukraine stall. — Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 10 July 2026

Julius seems to have approached his spying with a sprightly, if naive, enthusiasm. — Amy Weiss-Meyer, The Atlantic, 10 July 2026

As a result, stories revealing the NSA’s mass spying tactics were published in The Guardian, The Washington Post and other outlets around the world. — Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 14 June 2026

In March, two Democrats and two Republicans opposed to the law’s broad spying authority introduced a bill to limit the government’s ability to obtain Americans’ private communications without a warrant. — ArsTechnica, 12 June 2026

Verb

Just across the sea lie North Korea, China and Russia, which all have powerful spying capacities that Japan isn’t fully equipped to fend off. — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 31 July 2026

Turkish, Asian and Chinese brands flooded in at first, spying a once-in-a-generation opportunity to hoover up prime real estate. — Mark Faithfull, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026

Their parents, Ethel and Julius, have been convicted of spying for the Soviet Union and sentenced to death. — Amy Weiss-Meyer, The Atlantic, 10 July 2026

Although there is no suspicion of spying in this specific case, there is a long history of espionage in international soccer. — Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 4 July 2026

This is not the first time an American has been accused of spying for Iran. — Sophia Mandt, The Washington Examiner, 30 June 2026

In 2024, the Canadian women’s national team was accused of using a drone to spy on a New Zealand training session in the days leading up to its opening match at the Paris Olympics, triggering a spying scandal that led to sanctions against Canada. — Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 18 June 2026

But that doesn’t mean the government’s spying powers will disappear. — ArsTechnica, 12 June 2026

Following the House vote, congressional Republicans blamed Democrats for putting a key spying tool in jeopardy, noting the high-level security events happening around the country in the coming weeks such as July 4 celebrations and World Cup matches. — Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 12 June 2026