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.
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Recent Examples of spy
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
26 June 2026
The streamer has given a straight-to-series pickup for a spy drama that will star Millie Bobby Brown and David Harbour.
—
Rick Porter,
HollywoodReporter,
26 June 2026
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
18 June 2026
Glimmers of this optimism could be spied in the FOMC’s statement, issued ahead of Warsh’s press conference.
—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
17 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for spy
Noun
The book is about a former jet-setting spy who has been stuck behind a desk for years.
—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
26 June 2026
The streamer has given a straight-to-series pickup for a spy drama that will star Millie Bobby Brown and David Harbour.
—
Rick Porter,
HollywoodReporter,
26 June 2026
Verb
In 2024, the Canadian women’s national team was accused of using a drone to spy on a New Zealand training session in the days leading up to its opening match at the Paris Olympics, triggering a spying scandal that led to sanctions against Canada.
—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
18 June 2026
Glimmers of this optimism could be spied in the FOMC’s statement, issued ahead of Warsh’s press conference.
—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
17 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for spy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spy
Noun
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In the prosecutor’s statement, the suspect is alleged to have photographed sensitive sites in Israel and then sold the images to an Iranian operative for up to hundreds of dollars.
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Political operatives tied to Florida Power & Light’s parent company were involved in the scandal, and a former Republican state senator was convicted of violating campaign finance laws.
Verb
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Within hours, he was spotted on Santa Clara Valley Water District property at Camino Arroyo and Gilman Road.
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The marshals received a tip Tuesday that the man had been spotted at his residence in Meridian, the release said.
Noun
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But the fear of being snatched by ICE agents remains, Neel said.
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In all 11 host cities, federal agents are leading operations to keep drones away from match-day crowds.
Verb
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However, the finale shows Oreana eyeing the positive results of a pregnancy test before asking Carter to run away together and start over.
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The Swift operations team at Penn State University’s Eberly College of Science has reduced power usage and steered the observatory to eye the cosmos from a more streamlined position.
Noun
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The result is that the majority — roughly 70% of public firms — of Self-Dealers and Value-Extractors still practicing MSV undercover are enjoying below-average as shown by the data in Figure 2 from Professor Felix Oberholzer’s book Better Simpler Strategy.
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First, in February 2008, a Dutch TV station aired a confession allegedly made by van der Sloot and captured on a hidden camera by Patrick van der Eem, a businessman working undercover for a Dutch journalist.
Verb
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Court documents say witnesses noticed Lopez acting strangely before the attack.
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Soon though, Shawna noticed some of Zaayer's strange behaviors — including scolding her grandson, getting upset over cleaning habits and allegedly showing them racist videos.
Noun
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Go for the mole tasting at El Mural de los Poblanos and sample five different takes on the classic dish.
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Mexican comfort food known for agua frescas, frozen margaritas, enchiladas (mole, salsa verde and sour cream trio), pambazos and desserts.
Verb
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As adult influencers dominate online fashion culture, and tweens and teens see the same content as adults, there are fewer spaces for young people to develop styles of their own.
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Messi was trying to get a ball away from an Algerian player when he was seen digging his cleat into the back of the player’s calf.
Cite this Entry
“Spy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spy. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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