as in operative
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 to spot
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of spy
Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 28 July 2025
The Fantastic Four, one of the most famous superhero teams around, are an obvious influence, and there are shades of the X-Men, James Bond-esque spy antics, and Alan Moore's seminal comic Watchmen.
—James Grebey, Time, 25 July 2025
AFAR Media, 11 July 2025
Murrell's efforts drew attention from those who could spy into his Evendale yard.
—Amber Hunt, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for spy
Noun
Chris Willingham’s biggest gig was on 24, the 2001-10 real-time spy drama that starred Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer.
—Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 28 July 2025
The Fantastic Four, one of the most famous superhero teams around, are an obvious influence, and there are shades of the X-Men, James Bond-esque spy antics, and Alan Moore's seminal comic Watchmen.
—James Grebey, Time, 25 July 2025
Verb
To spy green sea and hawksbill turtles nesting, visit from July through October.
—AFAR Media, 11 July 2025
Murrell's efforts drew attention from those who could spy into his Evendale yard.
—Amber Hunt, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for spy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spy
Noun
-
Indeed, Jared Fleisher, one of Gilbert's top operatives, gave mayoral candidate Fred Durhal III's campaign $2,000.—
M.L. Elrick,
Freep.com,
23 July 2025
-
Neither a complacent, neutered Congress nor a Supreme Court controlled by lifelong GOP partisan operatives appear willing or able to stop it.—
David Faris,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 July 2025
Verb
-
The incident resulted in the resignations of Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and its head of HR Kristin Cabot after the two were allegedly spotted on the kiss cam together.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
26 July 2025
-
How to spot a stroke The phrase to remember is BE FAST.—
Nicole Villalpando,
Austin American Statesman,
26 July 2025
Noun
-
Record company executives, agents, producers and bookers dominate the panel discussions.—
Michael Barnes,
Austin American Statesman,
23 July 2025
-
Flood insurance is available through your company, agent, or the National Flood Insurance Program.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
22 July 2025
Verb
-
Prolific doc makers from both sides of the Atlantic are eyeing a doc series on Afrobeats icon Fela Kuti.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
30 July 2025
-
Though the board is expecting a $34.4 million deficit for the next school year, district administrators are eyeing $21.2 million in cuts since the district's financial policy requires it to keep a deficit only as high as $13.2 million to maintain a healthy fund balance, Gearing said.—
Keri Heath,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
Noun
-
Michael Fassbender stars as Martian, a CIA spy who’s recalled to London after years of living deep undercover in Ethiopia.—
Manuel Betancourt,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2025
-
Want to see what else is up for grabs during Wayfair’s undercover Kelly Clarkson Home sale?—
Shea Simmons,
People.com,
6 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Some people notice soft, fine hair regrowing on the affected areas initially, which thickens and darkens over time.—
Sarah Jividen,
Verywell Health,
29 July 2025
-
In Sunday’s victory against the Blue Jays, the Tigers noticed something off with Meadows both on the field and in the bases.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
29 July 2025
Noun
-
Deanna Raybourn’s sequel, which reads fine as a standalone, follows a senior quartet of female assassins who are called back into action to track down a mole within the elite assassin organization, the Museum.—
Maureen Lee Lenker Published,
EW.com,
15 July 2025
-
The food was a homemade meal of mole, rice and beans made by Blanca’s mom and friends.—
Imani Cruzen,
Twin Cities,
6 July 2025
Verb
-
Suspect is Michael Paul Brown and was last seen in the Stumptown area.—
Jenna Sundel
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Aug. 2025
-
Since making her screen debut on the British teen drama Skins (2011–2012) as Mini McGuinness, Mavor has appeared in projects such as The Keeper (2019) and My Policeman (2022), the latter seeing her act opposite Corrin.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
1 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spy. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share