spy on

Idioms  

1. Secretly or furtively observe someone or something, as in The children loved spying on the grownups, or The company sent him to spy on the competitor's sales force. [Early 1600s]

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Example Sentences

Yuen denied commissioning Wai to carry out surveillance of Hong Kong dissidents based in London, including "never" having asked him to spy on pro-democracy activist Nathan Law.

From BBC

His presence with Natalie's family in the days and weeks after her death, and even his attempt to spy on their conversations.

From BBC

For much of this century, the big tech companies, as well as their investors, have often tried to avoid developing or promoting things that helped spy on people or kill them.

From Los Angeles Times

“I wasn’t trying to spy on you, but it was hard not to overhear. You would cry out. In your sleep. Sometimes a yell, and sometimes it was more like—” He swallows his words; he truly doesn’t want to say them out loud.

From Literature

Battle also states in the complaint that Rojas repeatedly asked him to “spy on and video and record” fellow Councilmember Jim Dear.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• stalk