espy

[ ih-spahy ]
See synonyms for espy on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object),es·pied, es·py·ing.
  1. to see at a distance; catch sight of.

Origin of espy

1
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

Other words for espy

Other words from espy

  • un·es·pied, adjective

Other definitions for Espy (2 of 2)

Espy
[ es-pee ]

noun
  1. James Pol·lard [pol-erd], /ˈpɒl ərd/, 1785–1860, U.S. meteorologist.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use espy in a sentence

  • At that they all looked, and, espying him, gave vent to a series of cries and shouts.

    Left on Labrador | Charles Asbury Stephens
  • I must have started slightly at espying suddenly Arthur Pickering not twenty feet away.

    The House of a Thousand Candles | Meredith Nicholson
  • The church clock struck with a rattling sound, and the rosework on its tympanum looked like an eye espying a sacrilege.

    Bouvard and Pcuchet | Gustave Flaubert
  • And now, espying other lands of promise, we took possession of the province of Chelsea, in the name of our necessity.

    The Promised Land | Mary Antin
  • They were in bathing costume, and Miss Lee, espying Arch, fastened upon him without ceremony.

    The Fatal Glove | Clara Augusta Jones Trask

British Dictionary definitions for espy

espy

/ (ɪˈspaɪ) /


verb-pies, -pying or -pied
  1. (tr) to catch sight of or perceive (something distant or previously unnoticed); detect: to espy a ship on the horizon

Origin of espy

1
C14: from Old French espier to spy, of Germanic origin

Derived forms of espy

  • espier, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for Espy

Espy

[ ĕs ]


  1. American meteorologist who is credited with the first correct explanation of the role heat plays in cloud formation and growth. His use of the telegraph in relaying meteorological observations and tracking storms laid the foundation for modern weather forecasting.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.