spy

[ spahy ]

/ spaɪ /

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.

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

spy·ship, noun out·spy, 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

sputniks, sputter, sputtering, sputum, spuyten duyvil creek, spy, spy on, spy out, spy wednesday, spyglass, spyhole

Example sentences from the Web for spy

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 |DAILY BEAST
And 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 |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 |DAILY BEAST
That alliance between the spy agency and the military, forged in Iraq, would forever change the way America fights wars.

How the NSA Became a Killing Machine |Shane Harris |November 9, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

The Spy Who Came In from the Cold, my third book, changed my life and put me on bare-knuckle terms with my abilities.

The Stacks: How The Berlin Wall Inspired John le Carré’s First Masterpiece |John le Carré |November 8, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
For Ignacio knew that the Spanish officer was glad enough to believe the story the spy told him.

A Prisoner of Morro |Upton Sinclair
He has been tried as a spy, condemned as a spy, and shall be executed as a spy, and the flag is ordered to depart immediately.

Elsie and Her Loved Ones |Martha Finley
Some of our folk are almost out of their minds about it, and declare you to be either a brigand in disguise or a spy.

Dead Souls |Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol
The priests had dragged this young boy into their den, and taught him to play the spy on his father and mother.

Pilgrimage from the Alps to the Tiber |James Aitken Wylie
Even though he was an enemy of her country, a man to be hated, a spy, she could not help being glad for his presence there.

The Apartment Next Door |William Andrew Johnston

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

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

spy

noun, plural spies.

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

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

Origin of spy

OTHER WORDS FROM spy

Words nearby spy

Example sentences from the Web for spy

British Dictionary definitions for spy

noun plural spies

verb spies, spying or spied

Word Origin for spy

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

spy

noun, plural spies.

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

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

Origin of spy

OTHER WORDS FROM spy

Words nearby spy

Words related to spy

Example sentences from the Web for spy

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for spy

noun plural spies

verb spies, spying or spied

Word Origin for spy

British Dictionary definitions for spy