spy

American  

[spahy] / spaɪ /

noun

PLURAL

spies

1. a person employed by a government to obtain secret information or intelligence about another, usually hostile, country, especially with reference to military or naval affairs.

2. a person who keeps close and secret watch on the actions and words of another or others.

3. a person who seeks to obtain confidential information about the activities, plans, methods, etc., of an organization or person, especially one who is employed for this purpose by a competitor.

   an industrial spy.

4. the act of spying.

---

verb (used without object)

spied, spying

1. to observe secretively or furtively with hostile intent (often followed by on orupon ).

2. to act as a spy; engage in espionage.

3. to be on the lookout; keep watch.

4. to search for or examine something closely or carefully.

verb (used with object)

spied, spying

1. to catch sight of suddenly; espy; descry.

   to spy a rare bird overhead.

2. to discover or find out by observation or scrutiny (often followed byout ).

3. to observe (a person, place, enemy, etc.) secretively or furtively with hostile intent.

4. to inspect or examine or to search or look for closely or carefully.

spy British  

/ spaɪ /

noun

1. a person employed by a state or institution to obtain secret information from rival countries, organizations, companies, etc

2. a person who keeps secret watch on others

3. obsolete a close view

---

verb

1. to keep a secret or furtive watch (on)

2. (intr) to engage in espionage

3. (tr) to catch sight of; descry

Other Word Forms

• outspy verb (used with object)
• spyship noun
• superspy noun
• unspied adjective
• unspying adjective

Etymology

Origin of spy

First recorded in 1200–50; (for the verb) Middle English spien, shortened from espien, espyen “to espy” ( espy ); (for the noun) Middle English, shortened from espy “a spy,” from Old French espie

Example Sentences

“Obviously, they were waiting for all the spies to die, so they didn’t have to punish anyone.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Police said the spying devices were connected to the couple's mobile phones, allowing them to capture and view images of the table.

From BBC

Lakanwal worked with the U.S. government during the war in Afghanistan, including the Central Intelligence Agency, “as a member of a partner force in Kandahar,” John Ratcliffe, the spy agency’s director, said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Lakanwal, aged 29, worked with the U.S. government, including the Central Intelligence Agency, “as a member of a partner force in Kandahar,” John Ratcliffe, the spy agency’s director, said.

From The Wall Street Journal

But a string of spying incidents, sabotage attacks and airspace intrusion in Europe, many of them attributed to Moscow by Western intelligence, suggest it could be preparing to pounce sooner.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• agent
• detective
• informer
• investigator
• mole
• operative
• secret agent
• secret service
• undercover agent