spy
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.
a person who keeps close and secret watch on the actions and words of another or others.
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.
the act of spying.
to observe secretively or furtively with hostile intent (often followed by on or upon).
to act as a spy; engage in espionage.
to be on the lookout; keep watch.
to search for or examine something closely or carefully.
to catch sight of suddenly; espy; descry: to spy a rare bird overhead.
to discover or find out by observation or scrutiny (often followed by out).
to observe (a person, place, enemy, etc.) secretively or furtively with hostile intent.
to inspect or examine or to search or look for closely or carefully.
Origin of spy
1Other words from spy
- spyship, noun
- outspy, verb (used with object), out·spied, out·spy·ing.
- su·per·spy, noun, plural su·per·spies.
- un·spied, adjective
- un·spy·ing, adjective
Words Nearby spy
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use spy in a sentence
She’s completely won Emily over by volunteering to act as her socialite spy.
Many have turned to VPNs, or virtual private networks, thinking that they can protect you from snoopers and spies.
However, recruiting and retaining the talent capable of building these tools is a challenge on many levels, especially since a spy agency can’t match Silicon Valley salaries, reputations, and patents.
CIA’s new tech recruiting pitch: More patents, more profits | Patrick O'Neill | September 21, 2020 | MIT Technology ReviewTenet, a time-travel spy thriller starring John David Washington and Robert Pattinson, was originally slated as a summerlong “tentpole” release, expected to be among the highest-grossing movies of the year.
Will ‘Tenet’ revive U.S. movie theaters as it’s finally released? | dzanemorris | September 3, 2020 | FortuneNormally, silence and secrecy are inherent in the spy business.
The man who built a spyware empire says it’s time to come out of the shadows | Bobbie Johnson | August 19, 2020 | MIT Technology Review
It is a spy series at its core, but you guys never really pull from the headlines.
‘Archer’ Creator Adam Reed Spills Season 6 Secrets, From Surreal Plotlines to Life Post-ISIS | Marlow Stern | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTThe highly anticipated sixth season of the hilarious spy-spoof will premiere on FX at 10 pm EST on January 8, 2015.
‘Archer’ Season 6 Exclusive: Watch Six ‘Certified’ Videos and See the FX Series’ New Key Art | Marlow Stern | November 24, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAnd after the film premiered in Telluride, you were accused by Iran State Media of being a “Zionist” CIA spy.
Jon Stewart Talks ‘Rosewater’ and the ‘Chickensh-t’ Democrats’ Midterm Massacre | Marlow Stern | November 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST“Once a spy, always a spy,” his friend responded; this was a common Soviet saying.
How the Fall of the Berlin Wall Radicalized Putin | Masha Gessen | November 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThat alliance between the spy agency and the military, forged in Iraq, would forever change the way America fights wars.
It was a fact that Amy Drew often saw humor where her chum 98 could not spy anything in the least laughable.
The Campfire Girls of Roselawn | Margaret PenroseValence sent a woman, disguised as a beggar, to spy out the position; but Bruce saw through the dodge, and the spy confessed.
King Robert the Bruce | A. F. MurisonTo spy out the land with a naval telescope over a mile of sea means taking a lot on trust as we learned to our cost on April 25th.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I | Ian HamiltonMany a spy of the Kaiser had tried to pry there and had been arrested and sentenced to a long term of imprisonment.
The Doctor of Pimlico | William Le QueuxNobody guessed where the King of Asturia was, and the spy had gone off on a false errand altogether.
The Weight of the Crown | Fred M. White
British Dictionary definitions for spy
/ (spaɪ) /
a person employed by a state or institution to obtain secret information from rival countries, organizations, companies, etc
a person who keeps secret watch on others
obsolete a close view
(intr usually foll by on) to keep a secret or furtive watch (on)
(intr) to engage in espionage
(tr) to catch sight of; descry
Origin of spy
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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