espy
verb (used with object)
to see at a distance; catch sight of.
espy
1 American
[ih-spahy]
/ ɪˈspaɪ /
verb (used with object)
-
espies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
espied,
past participle, past
-
espying
present participle
Espy
2
American
[es-pee]
/ ˈɛs pi /
noun
espy
British
/ ɪˈspaɪ /
verb
Espy
Scientific
/ ĕs′pē /
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
espysimple
-
espiessimple
-
have espiedperfect
-
has espiedperfect
-
am espyingprogressive
-
are espyingprogressive
-
is espyingprogressive
-
have been espyingperfect progressive
-
has been espyingperfect progressive
Past
-
espiedsimple
-
had espiedperfect
-
was espyingprogressive
-
were espyingprogressive
-
had been espyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of espy
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English espien, espyen, from Old French espier, ultimately from Germanic; compare German spähen “to look out”; see also skeptic, speculate
Explanation
To espy something is to see it, or glimpse it. If you look through binoculars long enough, you might espy a colorful bird. Though you can use the verb espy whenever you want to say "see," "spot," or "notice," it's primarily a literary word that you'll mostly find in books. One character might espy another strolling in a garden, or a pipe-smoking detective might espy a clue behind a parlor door. Espy comes from the Old French espiier, "observe, watch or spy on," from a Germanic root.
Vocabulary lists containing espy
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Of Plymouth Plantation," Vocabulary from the historical account
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Of Plymouth Plantation" by William Bradford
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
And sympathy for the people whom we espy is born out of that complicity, a compassion that stems from the false sense that we are observing people’s most private moments without permission, undetected.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2015
A traveller upon the sea she fared, fleeting on with foam about her throat over the waves, over the ocean-streams with wreathéd prow, until they might espy the Geatish cliffs and headlands that they knew.
From The New Yorker ● Jun. 2, 2014
They know that the other judges of the World Court are not filled with gladness when they espy the ruddy, oval face and trim white beard of John Bassett Moore.
From Time Magazine Archive
This is the hour when children who play in the vicinity of the Connecticut Avenue bridge espy the huge old figure who chuckles with his stomach and is always willing to stop and say hello.
From Time Magazine Archive
She gave up straining to espy, past the apparently real, something denser.
From "Typical American" by Gish Jen
“We mixed our teams, and everyone just kind of attacked it,” Espy said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2026
Los Angeles County Assistant Fire Chief Trey Espy said the situation on the ground in Venezuela was ‘very grim.’
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
Espy said rescue workers from USA-1 had pulled three survivors from the debris, including a 9-month-old baby.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
Rescue workers heard noises that raised the possibility that someone underneath was still alive, Espy told The Times.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
I looked over at Joe and Espy, who pretended not to pay attention.
From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez
A man who stops for gas a sign espies That says a dog out back has quite a knack.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 3, 2020
Behind peppy songs like “Singin’ in the Rain” and “Tiptoe Through the Tulips,” Mr. Mac espies a frantic need to forget those horrors.
From New York Times ● Jan. 14, 2015
If he espies a tempting morsel he drops like a stone, and alights on a spot almost exactly below him—a power which few birds seem to possess.
From Wild Life in a Southern County by Richard Jefferies
They were no more than fair flowers to the man who espies the coils of a snake among the blossoms.
From In Kings' Byways by Stanley John Weyman
Terror-struck, he inquires whence it comes, and then espies the corpse.
From Oscar Wilde by Leonard Cresswell Ingleby
Discerning blurry outlines in Himalayan mountain zones, gullible visitors uttered: “Just look! We’ve finally espied proof! The abominable snowman eXists!”
From Washington Post ● Nov. 23, 2022
As opposed to when I espied Mr. McConnell on my flight in yesterday, now he is dressed to the nines, as befits both his home state and the event.
From Washington Times ● May 10, 2017
He in the house espied there many a man asleep, a throng of kinsmen side by side, and band of youthful knights.
From The New Yorker ● Jun. 2, 2014
I espied much mint and seafoam, a lot of grass and Astroturf, some lime and spinach-leaf and haricot vert and Shamrock Shakes shades.
From Slate ● Jun. 26, 2013
When he espied Jon Snow, Axell Florent tossed a bone aside, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and sauntered over.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
The couple got into rare books quite by accident, recalled David Bauman, a gentle, soft-spoken man in his 70s, after espying some at Freeman, the auction house in Philadelphia where they lived as newlyweds.
From New York Times ● Jan. 30, 2019
The third moral outrage I imagine the future espying is our cruelty to the ill and aged in our fetish for surgical intervention.
From BBC ● Feb. 26, 2016
Only John Melia, a spokesman for Local 1-2 of the Utility Workers Union of America, the union representing the locked-out workers, grows impassioned, in the manner of a kamikaze pilot espying a large aircraft carrier.
From New York Times ● Jul. 24, 2012
"Oh, look at this," cried the President, espying "Little Phil" Sheridan's gold-plated Winchester.
From Time Magazine Archive
Suddenly De Lancy glanced up, and espying the young lady of the castle, greeted her respectfully.
From Blanche by Ossip Schubin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
