Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense spies, present participle spying, past tense, past participle spied
1. countable noun
A spy is a person whose job is to find out secret information about another country or organization.
He was jailed for five years as an alleged British spy.
The spy ring passed secrets to the enemy.
Synonyms: undercover agent, secret agent, double agent, secret service agent More Synonyms of spy
2. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
A spy satellite or spy plane obtains secret information about another country by taking photographs from the sky.
3. verb
Someone who spiesfor a country or organization tries to find out secret information about another country or organization.
The agent spied for the government for more than twenty years. [VERB + for]
East and West are still spying on one another. [VERB + on]
I never agreed to spy against the United States. [VERB + against]
Synonyms: be a spy, snoop [informal], gather intelligence, be engaged in spying More Synonyms of spy
spyinguncountable noun
...a ten-year sentence for spying.
Synonyms: espionage, reconnaissance, infiltration, undercover work More Synonyms of spy
4. verb
If you spy on someone, you watch them secretly.
That day he spied on her while pretending to work on the shrubs. [V + on n]
If you were invisible, who would you spy on? [V +on n]
5. verb
If you spy someone or something, you notice them.
[literary]
He was walking down the street when he spied an old friend. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: catch sight of, see, spot, notice More Synonyms of spy
More Synonyms of spy
spy in British English
(spaɪ)
nounWord forms: pluralspies
1.
a person employed by a state or institution to obtain secret information from rival countries, organizations, companies, etc
2.
a person who keeps secret watch on others
3. obsolete
a close view
verbWord forms: spies, spying or spied
4. (intransitive; usually foll byon)
to keep a secret or furtive watch (on)
5. (intransitive)
to engage in espionage
6. (transitive)
to catch sight of; descry
Word origin
C13 spien, from Old French espier, of Germanic origin; related to Old High German spehōn, Middle Dutch spien
spy in American English
(spaɪ)
verb transitiveWord forms: spied or ˈspying
1.
to watch or observe closely and secretly, usually with unfriendly purpose
often with out
2.
to catch sight of; make out; perceive; see
verb intransitive
3.
to watch or observe closely and secretly; specif., to act as a spy
4.
to make a close examination or careful inspection
nounWord forms: pluralspies
5.
a person who keeps close and secret watch on another or others
6. US
a person employed by a government to get secret information about or monitor the affairs, plans, armed forces, etc. of another government
7.
a person employed by a company, as in industry or commerce, to discover the business secrets of another company
8. Rare
an act of spying
adjective
9.
of or about spies or espionage
10.
used for purposes of military espionage
spy plane, spy satellite
Idioms:
spy out
Word origin
ME spien < OFr espier < OHG spehōn, to search out, examine < IE base *spe-, to spy, watch closely > L specere, to see, Sans spaśati, (he) sees, Gr skopein, to observe
Examples of 'spy' in a sentence
spy
Was he spying on the enemy on results day?
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
It is a surreal satire about spy thrillers.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Residents of the town have also been angered by the executions of alleged spies.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
No wonder there is a temptation to cheat by spying on rivals.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The senior minister was spying his watch.
Christianity Today (2000)
Steel was no spy or secret agent.
Iain Gale Man of Honour (2007)
We are being deluged with demands to spy on one another.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
This time he was not spying for his country.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The rest of his spy ring also went to prison.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Did you resort to using a spy gadget to find out whether he was a double agent?
The Sun (2006)
How about spying on some people who can handle themselves?
The Sun (2014)
His spies kept close watch over her.
Lucy Moore Liberty: The Lives and Times of Six Women in Revolutionary France (2006)
Critics accuse them of using the presence of sympathisers in the police to run a spying operation on rivals.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
And now there's a new spy in the sky.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
White convert faces jail for planning terror attacks on British spy chiefs.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
We are spies in an enemy 's country.
Arthur Conan Doyle The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1892)
The second alleged spy is an official of the German defence ministry.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
So spy chiefs handed them DVDs and magazines to help persuade them to switch their allegiance.
The Sun (2013)
A road safety revolution or just spies in the sky?
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Blunt was a penetration agent, a spy specifically recruited to burrow into and expose the secrets of another spy service.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Spies obtain information or intelligence.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Good job they didn't build spy planes only to dismantle them then borrow some from America.
The Sun (2011)
Knowing his spies would obtain her medical records, she had managed to have them swapped and was actually due in September.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
In other languages
spy
British English: spy /spaɪ/ NOUN
A spy is a person whose job is to find out secret information about another country or organization.
He used to be a spy.
American English: spy
Arabic: جَاسُوس
Brazilian Portuguese: espião
Chinese: 间谍
Croatian: špijun
Czech: špion
Danish: spion
Dutch: spion
European Spanish: espía
Finnish: vakooja
French: espion
German: Spion
Greek: κατάσκοπος
Italian: spia
Japanese: スパイ
Korean: 스파이
Norwegian: spion
Polish: szpieg
European Portuguese: espião
Romanian: spion
Russian: шпион
Latin American Spanish: espía
Swedish: spion
Thai: นักสืบ
Turkish: casus
Ukrainian: шпигун
Vietnamese: gián điệp
British English: spy /spaɪ/ VERB
Someone who spies for a country or organization tries to find out secret information for them about other countries or organizations.
The two countries are still spying on one another.
American English: spy
Arabic: يَتَجَسَّسُ
Brazilian Portuguese: espionar
Chinese: 密探
Croatian: uhoditi
Czech: špehovat
Danish: spionere
Dutch: spioneren
European Spanish: espiar
Finnish: vakoilla
French: espionner
German: spionieren
Greek: κατασκοπεύω
Italian: spiare
Japanese: 見張る
Korean: 몰래 감시하다
Norwegian: spionere
Polish: szpiegować
European Portuguese: espiar
Romanian: a spiona
Russian: шпионить
Latin American Spanish: espiar
Swedish: spionera
Thai: สืบ
Turkish: casusluk etmek
Ukrainian: шпигувати
Vietnamese: theo dõi
All related terms of 'spy'
I-spy
a game in which one player specifies the initial letter of the name of an object that he or she can see , which the other players then try to guess
spy out
to discover by careful observation
spy plane
an aircraft used to carry out surveillance of an enemy country or military formations from a high altitude
spy ring
a group of spies operating covertly together
spy ship
a ship carrying surveillance equipment , used to secretly observe an enemy state from the sea
spy agency
An agency is a government organization responsible for a certain area of administration .
spy camera
a hidden , disguised or miniature camera used in espionage
Northern Spy
a yellowish-red winter apple
spy satellite
an orbiting satellite used to carry out surveillance of an enemy country or military formations from space
Spy Wednesday
(in Ireland) the Wednesday before Easter , named for Judas ' becoming a spy for the Sanhedrin
spy-in-the-sky
of or relating to a surveillance camera mounted on an aircraft or orbiting satellite
Chinese translation of 'spy'
spy
(spaɪ)
n(c)
间(間)谍(諜) (jiàndié) (个(個), gè)
vi
to spy on (= watch) 暗中监(監)视(視) (ànzhōng jiānshì)
(= get information about) 刺探 (cìtàn)
vt
(liter, = notice) 发(發)现(現) (fāxiàn)
cpd
[film, story]间(間)谍(諜) (jiàndié)
[satellite, plane]侦(偵)探 (zhēntàn)
to spy for为(為) ... 充当(當)间(間)谍(諜) (wèi ... chōngdāng jiàndié)
(noun)
Definition
a person employed to find out secret information about other countries or organizations
He was jailed for five years as an alleged spy.
Synonyms
undercover agent
secret agent
He was blacklisted as a secret agent.
double agent
secret service agent
foreign agent
mole
fifth columnist
nark (British, Australian, New Zealand, slang)
1 (verb)
Definition
to work as a spy
I never agreed to spy for the United States.
Synonyms
be a spy
snoop (informal)
Governments have been known to snoop into innocent citizens' lives.
gather intelligence
be engaged in spying
work for the secret service
2 (verb)
Definition
to keep a secret watch on someone
The detectives have been spying on the suspects.
Synonyms
watch
I had the feeling we were being watched.
follow
I think we're being followed.
shadow
shadowed by a large and highly visible body of police
tail (informal)
Officers had tailed the gang in an undercover inquiry.
trail
Two detectives were trailing him.
keep watch on
keep under surveillance
3 (verb)
Definition
to catch sight of (someone or something)
He was walking down the street when he spied an old friend.
Synonyms
catch sight of
see
I saw a man making his way towards me.
spot
He left the party seconds before smoke was spotted coming up the stairs.
notice
People should not hesitate to contact the police if they notice anything suspicious.
sight
A fleet of ships was sighted in the North Sea.
observe
In 1664 Hooke observed a reddish spot on the surface of the planet.
glimpse
She glimpsed a group of people standing on the bank of a river.
behold (archaic, literary)
The garden was a joy to behold.
set eyes on
espy
She espied him in the far distance.
descry
From the top of the hill I descried a solitary rider.
Additional synonyms
in the sense of behold
Definition
to look (at)
The garden was a joy to behold.
Synonyms
look at,
see,
view,
eye,
consider,
study,
watch,
check,
regard,
survey,
witness,
clock (British, slang),
examine,
observe,
perceive,
gaze,
scan,
contemplate,
check out (informal),
inspect,
discern,
eyeball (slang),
scrutinize,
recce (slang),
get a load of (informal),
take a gander at (informal),
take a dekko at (British, slang, old-fashioned),
feast your eyes upon
in the sense of descry
Definition
to catch sight of
From the top of the hill I descried a solitary rider.
Synonyms
catch sight of,
see,
notice,
mark,
discover,
sight,
observe,
recognize,
distinguish,
perceive,
detect,
make out,
discern,
behold (archaic, literary),
espy,
spy out
in the sense of espy
Definition
to catch sight of
She espied him in the far distance.
Synonyms
catch sight of,
see,
discover,
spot,
notice,
sight,
observe,
spy,
perceive,
detect,
glimpse,
make out,
discern,
behold (archaic, literary),
catch a glimpse of,
descry
Synonyms of 'spy'
spy
Explore 'spy' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of follow
Definition
to go or come after
I think we're being followed.
Synonyms
pursue,
track,
dog,
hunt,
chase,
shadow,
tail (informal),
trail,
hound,
stalk,
run after
in the sense of glimpse
Definition
to catch sight of momentarily
She glimpsed a group of people standing on the bank of a river.
Synonyms
catch sight of,
spot,
sight,
view,
clock (British, informal),
spy,
espy,
descry
in the sense of notice
Definition
to point out or remark upon
People should not hesitate to contact the police if they notice anything suspicious.
Synonyms
observe,
see,
mind,
note,
spot,
remark,
distinguish,
perceive,
detect,
heed,
discern,
behold (archaic, literary),
mark,
eyeball (slang)
in the sense of observe
Definition
to see or notice
In 1664 Hooke observed a reddish spot on the surface of the planet.
Synonyms
notice,
see,
note,
mark,
discover,
spot,
regard,
witness,
clock (British, slang),
distinguish,
perceive,
detect,
discern,
behold (archaic, literary),
eye,
eyeball (slang),
peer at,
espy,
get a load of (informal)
in the sense of secret agent
Definition
a person employed by a government to find out the military and political secrets of other governments
He was blacklisted as a secret agent.
Synonyms
spy,
undercover agent,
spook (US, Canadian, informal),
nark (British, Australian, New Zealand, slang),
cloak-and-dagger man
in the sense of see
Definition
to look at or recognize with the eyes
I saw a man making his way towards me.
Synonyms
perceive,
note,
spot,
notice,
mark,
view,
eye,
check,
regard,
identify,
sight,
witness,
clock (British, slang),
observe,
recognize,
distinguish,
glimpse,
check out (informal),
make out,
heed,
discern,
behold (archaic, literary),
eyeball (slang),
catch a glimpse of,
catch sight of,
espy,
get a load of (slang),
descry,
take a dekko at (British, slang, old-fashioned),
lay or clap eyes on (informal)
in the sense of shadow
Definition
to follow or trail secretly
shadowed by a large and highly visible body of police
Synonyms
follow,
track,
pursue,
dog,
tail (informal),
trail,
stalk,
spy on
in the sense of sight
Definition
to see (someone or something) briefly or suddenly
A fleet of ships was sighted in the North Sea.
Synonyms
spot,
see,
observe,
notice,
distinguish,
perceive,
make out,
discern,
behold (archaic, literary)
in the sense of snoop
Definition
to pry into the private business of others
Governments have been known to snoop into innocent citizens' lives.
Synonyms
spy,
poke your nose in,
nose,
interfere,
pry (informal)
in the sense of spot
Definition
to see (something or someone) suddenly
He left the party seconds before smoke was spotted coming up the stairs.
Synonyms
see,
observe,
catch sight of,
identify,
sight,
recognize,
detect,
make out,
pick out,
discern,
behold (archaic, literary),
espy,
descry
Additional synonyms
in the sense of tail
Definition
to follow (someone) stealthily
Officers had tailed the gang in an undercover inquiry.
Synonyms
follow,
track,
shadow,
trail,
stalk,
keep an eye on,
dog the footsteps of
in the sense of trail
Definition
to follow or hunt (an animal or person), usually secretly, by following the marks or tracks he, she, or it has made