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 spying

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
The rebels suspected that Budik, a Georgian citizen, might be spying for a foreign intelligence service.

A Torture Survivor on Ukraine's Tortured Ceasefire |Anna Nemtsova |September 11, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Here is a photo that quite possibly captured a young Putin spying on President Reagan in 1988.

How the Actor Donatas Banionis Inspired Vladimir Putin to Become a Spy |Asawin Suebsaeng |September 5, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The spying scandal ripping Germany and the U.S. apart has deep roots.

One Big Reason The CIA Spied on Germany: Worries About Russian Moles in Berlin |Eli Lake |July 12, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

A number of things bother me about the latest revelations about CIA spying in Germany.

The CIA in Germany: A Secret History |Matthew Aid |July 10, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
It was a shock to know that at last there was something which could make her afraid of Mrs. Bogart's spying.

Main Street |Sinclair Lewis
"But all this spying and suspicion among the Turks make the next order the more necessary," he said, when Mitsos had finished.

The Vintage |Edward Frederic Benson
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
It was like the curious peeping of which the knight had been guilty, spying through the keyhole upon his wife, Undine.

Sleep Walking and Moon Walking |Isidor Isaak Sadger
I halted quickly and waited—yet almost ashamed of myself for spying thus.

Hushed Up |William Le Queux

British Dictionary definitions for spying

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 spying

British Dictionary definitions for spying

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

Content related to spying

Words related to spying

Example sentences from the Web for spying

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

noun plural spies

verb spies, spying or spied

Word Origin for spy

British Dictionary definitions for spying