spy
Americannoun
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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.
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a person who keeps close and secret watch on the actions and words of another or others.
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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.
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the act of spying.
verb (used without object)
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to observe secretively or furtively with hostile intent (often followed by on orupon ).
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to act as a spy; engage in espionage.
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to be on the lookout; keep watch.
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to search for or examine something closely or carefully.
verb (used with object)
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to catch sight of suddenly; espy; descry.
to spy a rare bird overhead.
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to discover or find out by observation or scrutiny (often followed byout ).
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to observe (a person, place, enemy, etc.) secretively or furtively with hostile intent.
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to inspect or examine or to search or look for closely or carefully.
noun
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a person employed by a state or institution to obtain secret information from rival countries, organizations, companies, etc
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a person who keeps secret watch on others
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obsolete a close view
verb
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to keep a secret or furtive watch (on)
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(intr) to engage in espionage
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(tr) to catch sight of; descry
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have spiedperfect
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has spiedperfect 3rd person singular
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has been spyingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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am spyingprogressive 1st person singular
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is spyingprogressive 3rd person singular
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spiessingular 3rd person
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are spyingprogressive
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spyingparticiple
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have been spyingperfect progressive
Past
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had spiedperfect
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had been spyingperfect progressive
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were spyingprogressive plural
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was spyingprogressive singular
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spiedsimple
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spiedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of spy
First recorded in 1200–50; (for the verb) Middle English spien, shortened from espien, espyen “to espy” ( see espy); (for the noun) Middle English, shortened from espy “a spy,” from Old French espie
Explanation
To spy is to secretly watch someone. It’s not recommended unless you’re actually a spy, a person who is hired by a government or organization to keep tabs on enemies. You might imagine a spy working for the CIA or the KGB, but there are also military spies who infiltrate their opponents' armies to get information, commit sabotage, or steal technology. Private businesses sometimes employ spies as well, to collect information about competitors. As a verb, to spy is to do what a spy does—or simply to see something: "I spy brownies on the kitchen counter!"
Vocabulary lists containing spy
Scrabble: Words with no Vowels
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All About Ninjas
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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.
In addition to the challenge of finding the appropriate music for a 1970s spy thriller set in Russia, “Ponies” music supervisor Kier Lehman couldn’t license any music from the country due to current international sanctions.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026
The arms sales have netted Pyongyang billions of dollars, according to estimates by the Institute for National Security Strategy, or INSS, a Seoul-based think tank affiliated with South Korea’s spy agency.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
In a 2016 speech, the former intelligence chief famously said James Bond, the fictional spy, would not pass the agency's recruitment process.
From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026
As acting DNI, Pulte will become America’s spy chief, coordinating efforts from the Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency, and others.
From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026
It had operated out of the same location since 1838, and its three-story atrium was ideal for spy work.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
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.
