spied; spying
1
: to watch secretly usually for hostile purposes
2
: to catch sight of : see
3
: to search or look for intensively
—usually used with out
spy out places fit for vending … goods—
S. E. Morison
S. E. Morison
plural spies
1
: one that spies:
a
: one who keeps secret watch on a person or thing to obtain information
b
: a person employed by one nation to secretly convey classified information of strategic importance to another nation
also
: a person who conveys the trade secrets of one company to another
2
: an act of spying
Synonyms
Examples of spy in a Sentence
Verb
They were accused of spying for a foreign government.
I spy a motel off in the distance, so let's spend the night there.
Noun
He was a spy for the CIA.
My coworker is a spy for the boss.
Recent Examples on the WebCharlie Savage, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
His brother was recently released from prison; he was accused of spying for Hamas and involvement in a possible plan for an attack, allegations his family strongly denies.
—Chantal Da Silva, NBC News, 28 Mar. 2024
Then Bissell spied five young clerks standing at attention, with lit torches on long poles, wearing … shimmering black capes?
—Jon Grinspan, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Apr. 2024
Across the universe Astronomers have spied two streams of ancient stars that likely helped build the Milky Way galaxy billions of years ago.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 23 Mar. 2024
But to meet his destiny as a fur-trapping legend, Jean must contend with a wily beaver population — often spied in teams of two, carting logs toward a mysterious location — who harbor their own plans for survival-of-the-fittest domination.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2024
Read more WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange starts final battle to avoid US trial
Tuesday culminates a fight against extradition for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange as his lawyers attempt a final U.K. legal challenge to avoid being sent to the United States to face spying charges.
—USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2024
Across the universe The far-reaching infrared gaze of the James Webb Space Telescope has spied a mysterious galaxy that existed when the universe was only 700 million years old — in its adolescence, astronomically speaking.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 10 Mar. 2024
Peering into the heart of the debris left behind by the star’s demise, astronomers led by Claes Fransson of Stockholm University in Sweden spied hints of ionized argon and sulfur—that is, evidence of elements that were so shocked by some external force that their electrons had been stripped away.
—Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 23 Feb. 2024
Michael Levenson, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2024
American spy satellites furnished Israel with precise data about Iran’s missile sites and monitored all the launches on Saturday.
—Yossi Melman and Dan Raviv, TIME, 15 Apr. 2024
After months of delays, false starts, and interventions by lawmakers working to preserve and expand the US intelligence community’s spy powers, the House of Representatives voted on Friday to extend Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) for two years.
—Dell Cameron, WIRED, 12 Apr. 2024
Lutnick, however, is less enthusiastic about central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) and suggested that China might view a digital dollar as a spy wallet, Bloomberg reports.
—Vinamrata Chaturvedi, Quartz, 11 Apr. 2024
In the show, Downey plays four different Americans who play a role in the spy’s journey: a CIA operative, a professor, a congressman and a movie director.
—Kirsten Chuba, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024
The launch, which comes after Seoul’s first spy satellite was put into orbit from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base in December, was livestreamed on social media platforms X and YouTube.
—Reuters, NBC News, 8 Apr. 2024
Once it was actually filmed, and subtitles were added to the multiple time lines and the twisty spy plot, the show seemed more complicated than before.
—Jia Tolentino, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
Then, a Russian agent contacted the soldier with an ultimatum: Switch sides and spy for Russia, or his family would suffer more harm.
—Kostiantyn Khudov, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2024
Verb
The setback came just hours after Mr. Trump added his powerful voice of opposition to a sizable contingent of right-wing lawmakers who have clamored for a more sweeping FISA overhaul that would severely limit the government’s spying powers.
—Charlie Savage, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
His brother was recently released from prison; he was accused of spying for Hamas and involvement in a possible plan for an attack, allegations his family strongly denies.
—Chantal Da Silva, NBC News, 28 Mar. 2024
Then Bissell spied five young clerks standing at attention, with lit torches on long poles, wearing … shimmering black capes?
—Jon Grinspan, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Apr. 2024
Across the universe Astronomers have spied two streams of ancient stars that likely helped build the Milky Way galaxy billions of years ago.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 23 Mar. 2024
But to meet his destiny as a fur-trapping legend, Jean must contend with a wily beaver population — often spied in teams of two, carting logs toward a mysterious location — who harbor their own plans for survival-of-the-fittest domination.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2024
Read more WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange starts final battle to avoid US trial
Tuesday culminates a fight against extradition for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange as his lawyers attempt a final U.K. legal challenge to avoid being sent to the United States to face spying charges.
—USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2024
Across the universe The far-reaching infrared gaze of the James Webb Space Telescope has spied a mysterious galaxy that existed when the universe was only 700 million years old — in its adolescence, astronomically speaking.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 10 Mar. 2024
Peering into the heart of the debris left behind by the star’s demise, astronomers led by Claes Fransson of Stockholm University in Sweden spied hints of ionized argon and sulfur—that is, evidence of elements that were so shocked by some external force that their electrons had been stripped away.
—Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 23 Feb. 2024
Noun
Israel could also revert to the ways of its yearslong shadow war with Iran, orchestrating some kind of bloodless cyberattack or relying on spy craft and covert actions against Iranian interests, inside or outside Iran, without claiming responsibility for them.
—Michael Levenson, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2024
American spy satellites furnished Israel with precise data about Iran’s missile sites and monitored all the launches on Saturday.
—Yossi Melman and Dan Raviv, TIME, 15 Apr. 2024
After months of delays, false starts, and interventions by lawmakers working to preserve and expand the US intelligence community’s spy powers, the House of Representatives voted on Friday to extend Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) for two years.
—Dell Cameron, WIRED, 12 Apr. 2024
Lutnick, however, is less enthusiastic about central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) and suggested that China might view a digital dollar as a spy wallet, Bloomberg reports.
—Vinamrata Chaturvedi, Quartz, 11 Apr. 2024
In the show, Downey plays four different Americans who play a role in the spy’s journey: a CIA operative, a professor, a congressman and a movie director.
—Kirsten Chuba, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024
The launch, which comes after Seoul’s first spy satellite was put into orbit from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base in December, was livestreamed on social media platforms X and YouTube.
—Reuters, NBC News, 8 Apr. 2024
Once it was actually filmed, and subtitles were added to the multiple time lines and the twisty spy plot, the show seemed more complicated than before.
—Jia Tolentino, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
Then, a Russian agent contacted the soldier with an ultimatum: Switch sides and spy for Russia, or his family would suffer more harm.
—Kostiantyn Khudov, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English spien, from Anglo-French espier, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German spehōn to spy; akin to Latin specere to look, look at, Greek skeptesthai & skopein to watch, look at, consider
First Known Use
Verb
13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Noun
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of spy was
in the 13th century
Phrases Containing spy
Dictionary Entries Near spy
Cite this Entry
“Spy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spy. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
spy
2 of 2 noun
plural spies
1
: one that watches the movement or actions of others especially in secret
2
: a person who tries secretly to obtain information for one country in the territory of another usually unfriendly country
More from Merriam-Webster on spy
Nglish: Translation of spy for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of spy for Arabic Speakers
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