spy

[ spahy ]

/ spaɪ /

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See synonyms for: spy / spied / spies / spying on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural spies.

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.

verb (used without object), spied, spy·ing.

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.

verb (used with object), spied, spy·ing.

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.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of spy

1200–50; (v.) Middle English spien, aphetic variant of espien to espy; (noun) Middle English, aphetic variant of espy a spy <Old French espie

OTHER WORDS FROM spy

spyship, nounoutspy, verb (used with object), out·spied, out·spy·ing.su·per·spy, noun, plural su·per·spies.un·spied, adjective

un·spy·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use spy in a sentence

Even if spies don’t get access to the nation’s secrets, they can still gather information on politicians that could be useful.
What we know about Rep. Eric Swalwell’s ties to an alleged Chinese spy|Amber Phillips|December 11, 2020|Washington Post
When Tanvir denied it, they shifted their message, suddenly offering him money and immigration benefits for his wife if he agreed to become a spy.
Supreme Court rules for Muslims placed on no-fly list after refusing to become FBI informants|Robert Barnes|December 10, 2020|Washington Post
By embedding invisible images known as spy pixels in the message, senders can find out when you opened it, where you were, what device you were on, and how much time you spent scrolling through the contents.
The most significant security innovations of 2020|By Yael Grauer and Purbita Saha|December 2, 2020|Popular-Science
The man said he was going undercover at various companies to ferret out would-be leakers and spies.
How a ‘diabolical’ former DEA staffer conned the intelligence community|Rachel Weiner|October 28, 2020|Washington Post

Just as an aside, the Westminster mission showed the reward as a silhouette of a man with a beret, but the spy turned out to be a middle-aged woman in a sharp blazer armed with a silencer.
‘Watch Dogs: Legion’ review in progress: Virtual London is legit, but story’s a snooze so far|Gene Park|October 28, 2020|Washington Post
The reasons for detention ranged from suspected spying to having an open beer bottle in public.
The Corrupt Cops of Rebel-Held East Ukraine|Kristina Jovanovski|December 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
How culpable are sites like Facebook, Google, and Apple in aiding potential spying, and the loss of privacy?
Laura Poitras on Snowden's Unrevealed Secrets|Marlow Stern|December 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One road leads to freedom, sharing, and equality; the other to endless spying, a hierarchical structure, and repression.
How Four Upstarts Built and Crashed the Anti-Facebook|Jake Whitney|November 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Trust us, the Obama administration said, about spying on Americans and restarting the economy through “shovel-ready” programs.
The Sane Case for Auditing the Fed|Nick Gillespie|October 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There was a time not that long ago when governments more or less monopolized spying on political protests.
A Double Agent App Targets Hong Kong’s Protesters|Jacob Siegel|October 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Only the quick wink of his eye reassures me of his interest, and gives warning of the spying guard.
Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist|Alexander Berkman
So spying of Payne in a gully, I went into him, and there staid, thinking to have gone to Chelsy with them.
Diary of Samuel Pepys, Complete|Samuel Pepys
Then, making up his mind suddenly, he went down the arcade and out onto the sidewalk, for spying was not in his nature.
The Woman Gives|Owen Johnson
“I feel just as if it was the guardian spirit of an evil place, that it is spying on us and plotting to harm us,” she confessed.
A Virginia Scout|Hugh Pendexter
He need not fear being lost in the streets should he lose touch with those he was spying upon.
Star Born|Andre Norton

British Dictionary definitions for spy

spy

/ (spaɪ) /

noun plural spies

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

verb spies, spying or spied

(intr usually foll by on) to keep a secret or furtive watch (on)

(intr) to engage in espionage

(tr) to catch sight of; descry

Word Origin for spy

C13 spien, from Old French espier, of Germanic origin; related to Old High German spehōn, Middle Dutch spien

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