as in operatives
a person who tries secretly to obtain information for one country in the territory of another usually unfriendly country
the government spy risked his life every day in the fight against global terrorism
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in notices
to make note of (something) through the use of one's eyes
I spy a motel off in the distance, so let's spend the night there
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spies
David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
Shiwa Hassanpour, an activist with the human rights monitor Hengaw Organization, based in Iraq’s Kurdish region, said people have been shot for approaching the border, because Iranian forces suspect them of being spies or informants.
—ABC News, 30 Mar. 2026
Residents of Tehran, the Iranian capital, say they are exhausted by the bombs that have battered their city on a daily basis and terrified of the security checkpoints that have popped up looking for spies.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 28 Mar. 2026
General paranoia about Fidesz spies means that Budapest, once again, has become a city where people lower their voices when talking about politics in public.
—Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026
Byunghun and Jimin will play the undercover spies.
—Denise Petski, Deadline, 24 Mar. 2026
These mechanical quadrupeds, made by the likes of Boston Dynamics and Ghost Robotics, can patrol premises, scanning the perimeter for intruders, spies, and other ne’er-do-wells, and sound the alarm when holes in fences or other suspicious things are detected.
—Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 19 Mar. 2026
And the Assads—who had spent their careers prying lies from spies—recognized the lies their neighbors, and some government officials, liked to tell themselves, lies that foes of the US had always counted on.
—Adam Ciralsky, Vanity Fair, 19 Mar. 2026
On the Beach, Cold War spies, and a certain fictional cat named Virtute.
—Hazlitt, 11 Mar. 2026
Amy Wilkinson, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Feb. 2026
Alma peers through a keyhole and spies her mother (Susanne Wuest) standing before a candlelit shrine to the family’s dead.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2025
And when Clara spies her classmate Miller Adams (Mason Thames) along the roadside, and decides to give him a ride, the film introduces a next-generation complication-that-isn’t-really-one.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 22 Oct. 2025
When Leo first spies the orphaned Josie singing on a Boston street corner, he’s struck by her resemblance to the Pendleton family, his father’s former employers and the victims of great tragedy when their baby was kidnapped in 1880.
—EW.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Noun
After all, Broidy’s private intelligence company, Circinus, hires the same kinds of former spies and commandos that Chalker’s once did.
—David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
Shiwa Hassanpour, an activist with the human rights monitor Hengaw Organization, based in Iraq’s Kurdish region, said people have been shot for approaching the border, because Iranian forces suspect them of being spies or informants.
—ABC News, 30 Mar. 2026
Residents of Tehran, the Iranian capital, say they are exhausted by the bombs that have battered their city on a daily basis and terrified of the security checkpoints that have popped up looking for spies.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 28 Mar. 2026
General paranoia about Fidesz spies means that Budapest, once again, has become a city where people lower their voices when talking about politics in public.
—Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026
Byunghun and Jimin will play the undercover spies.
—Denise Petski, Deadline, 24 Mar. 2026
These mechanical quadrupeds, made by the likes of Boston Dynamics and Ghost Robotics, can patrol premises, scanning the perimeter for intruders, spies, and other ne’er-do-wells, and sound the alarm when holes in fences or other suspicious things are detected.
—Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 19 Mar. 2026
And the Assads—who had spent their careers prying lies from spies—recognized the lies their neighbors, and some government officials, liked to tell themselves, lies that foes of the US had always counted on.
—Adam Ciralsky, Vanity Fair, 19 Mar. 2026
On the Beach, Cold War spies, and a certain fictional cat named Virtute.
—Hazlitt, 11 Mar. 2026
Verb
When Claire and Frank retreat to Inverness on holiday following the end of WWII, Frank spies the spectre of a Highlander staring up into Claire's window that abruptly vanishes.
—Amy Wilkinson, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Feb. 2026
Alma peers through a keyhole and spies her mother (Susanne Wuest) standing before a candlelit shrine to the family’s dead.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2025
And when Clara spies her classmate Miller Adams (Mason Thames) along the roadside, and decides to give him a ride, the film introduces a next-generation complication-that-isn’t-really-one.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 22 Oct. 2025
When Leo first spies the orphaned Josie singing on a Boston street corner, he’s struck by her resemblance to the Pendleton family, his father’s former employers and the victims of great tragedy when their baby was kidnapped in 1880.
—EW.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spies
Noun
-
In 2024 Israeli operatives infiltrated Hezbollah’s supply chain and used shell companies to sell members pagers and walkie-talkies rigged with explosives.—
Deni Ellis Béchard,
Scientific American,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Though appearing to be ordinary citizens to their friends, neighbors and even their own children, both parents are in fact elite North Korean operatives working to destabilize the South from within.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The breach raises new questions about how long attackers can remain inside critical healthcare systems before anyone notices.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Former Arizona guard Matt Muehlebach notices similarities during games.—
Doug Haller,
New York Times,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Stricter rules were imposed on documentation required for sponsors, border agents started pressuring unaccompanied children to self-deport before transferring them to shelters and Immigration and Customs Enforcement started arresting some sponsors in the middle of the release process.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Following the deadly shooting of two Americans by immigration agents in Minneapolis earlier this year, congressional Democrats have opposed funding ICE and CBP without policy changes, but the two parties have been unable to reach an agreement on reforms.—
Joe Walsh,
CBS News,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The hiring spree comes as the company shifts more aggressively toward enterprise sales and tries to regain momentum against Anthropic and Google, and as the company eyes a possible IPO within the next 12 months.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Subsequently, the filmmaker became enamored with airplanes and transferred that same fascination onto Lil Ant, who eyes the planes overhead with palpable yearning and, at one point, shoplifts a toy plane from a store.—
Vikram Murthi,
IndieWire,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In the clip, posted by Juls Piles (@julspiles), the 21-year-old can be seen swimming away from a boat to retrieve her floatie in the sea, when her brother suddenly spots a shark in the water.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
-
With Dylan preoccupied, Greg heads to the bar and spots Cristle.—
Erin Qualey,
Vulture,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Many employers are increasingly relying on rolling or phased layoffs, meaning the public often sees announcements weeks or months before job losses actually begin.—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Canales, in particular, sees the upside in the addition, not only for Carolina, but Pickett as well.—
Mike Kaye
March 31,
Charlotte Observer,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spies. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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