mata-mata

British

/ ˈmataˈmata /

noun

(in Malaysia) a former name for police

"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

Etymology

Origin of mata-mata

from Malay, reduplicated plural of mata eye

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

mata-mata

There was a policeman watching in the street— Ada mata-mata sa’orang men-jaga di jalan.

From A Manual of the Malay language With an Introductory Sketch of the Sanskrit Element in Malay by Sir William Edward Maxwell

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023