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⇱ spy - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

spy

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UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈspaɪ/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/spaɪ/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(spī)

Inflections of 'spy' (n): npl: spies
Inflections of 'spy' (v): (⇒ conjugate)
spies
v 3rd person singular
spying
v pres p
spied
v past
spied
v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
spy /spaɪ/USA pronunciation   n., pl. spies, v., spied, spy•ing. 
n. [countable]
  1. a person employed by a government to obtain secret information or intelligence about another country, usually an enemy:Spies who are caught in time of war are shot.
  2. one who keeps close and secret watch on another or others:We had a spy in our business who told our rivals all our secret plans.

v. 
  1. to observe or watch secretively, usually with hostile intent:[~ + on/upon + object]He was spying on everyone.
  2. to act as a spy;
    perform espionage:[no object]He spied for several years but made no reports until ordered to.
  3. to catch sight of:[~ + object]to spy a rare bird.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
spy (spī),USA pronunciation 
n. 
  1. a person employed by a government to obtain secret information or intelligence about another, usually hostile, country, esp. with reference to military or naval affairs.
  2. a person who keeps close and secret watch on the actions and words of another or others.
  3. a person who seeks to obtain confidential information about the activities, plans, methods, etc., of an organization or person, esp. one who is employed for this purpose by a competitor:an industrial spy.
  4. the act of spying.

v.i. 
  1. to observe secretively or furtively with hostile intent (often fol. by on or upon).
  2. to act as a spy;
    engage in espionage.
  3. to be on the lookout;
    keep watch.
  4. to search for or examine something closely or carefully.

v.t. 
  1. to catch sight of suddenly;
    espy;
    descry:to spy a rare bird overhead.
  2. to discover or find out by observation or scrutiny (often fol. by out).
  3. to observe (a person, place, enemy, etc.) secretively or furtively with hostile intent.
  4. to inspect or examine or to search or look for closely or carefully.
  • Old French espie
  • 1200–50; (verb, verbal) Middle English spien, aphetic variant of espien to espy; (noun, nominal) Middle English, aphetic variant of espy a spy
spy′ship, n. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
spy /spaɪ/ n ( pl spies)
  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
 vb (spies, spying, spied)
  1. (intransitive) usually followed by on: to keep a secret or furtive watch (on)
  2. (intransitive) to engage in espionage
  3. (transitive) to catch sight of; descry
Etymology: 13th Century spien, from Old French espier, of Germanic origin; related to Old High German spehōn, Middle Dutch spien
'spy' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Collocations: a [literary, famous, movie, covert] spy, spy (on) [Russians], caught [a Russian, an enemy] spy, more...

🗣️Forum discussions with the word(s) "spy" in the title:

a Chinese spy
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has been in to spy on them
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I would turn spy the moment I could
It is said that he was a spy.
Many fulminating commentator spy political correctness
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pronunciation: p&b [spy/buy; spend/bend]
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Look up "spy" at Merriam-Webster
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