spy
noun
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.
were spying
-
past progressiveof spy.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
Ankara in 2012 reportedly divulged to Iran the identities of up to 10 Iranian citizens who were spying for Israel and gathering information on Iran’s nuclear-weapons program.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 4, 2026
One former official noted that McGonigal was in charge of an investigation into why numerous individuals in China who were spying for the United States were arrested and taken out of commission.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 23, 2023
Much of it is shot with long lenses, through doors and over shoulders, as if the camera were spying or at least staying helpfully out of the way.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2021
George Allen, the legendary NFL coach, was convinced that teams, particularly the Cowboys when he was Washington’s head man, were spying on him.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 11, 2019
André never realized that both Rivington and Townsend were spying for Washington.
From "George Washington, Spymaster" by Thomas B. Allen
