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
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Recent Examples of spy
Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 27 May 2025
This is despite the Russian military’s atrocities committed against Ukrainian military forces and civilians in the war Russia began in 2022, and Russia’s intensifying hybrid war against Europeans in the form of covert spy attacks across Europe.
—John Deni, The Conversation, 27 May 2025
Ana Swanson, New York Times, 2 May 2025
The focus is on merchandising locations, but those who study the image will spy an opera house and a general store, believed to be the first time such concepts appear.
—Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for spy
Noun
Set in the thick of the Cold War, this 1960s spy thriller tasks you with sneaking through jungles and into Soviet bases to prevent nuclear catastrophe.
—Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 27 May 2025
This is despite the Russian military’s atrocities committed against Ukrainian military forces and civilians in the war Russia began in 2022, and Russia’s intensifying hybrid war against Europeans in the form of covert spy attacks across Europe.
—John Deni, The Conversation, 27 May 2025
Verb
On YouTube, the C.I.A. is posting videos that aim to recruit Chinese officials to spy for the agency.
—Ana Swanson, New York Times, 2 May 2025
The focus is on merchandising locations, but those who study the image will spy an opera house and a general store, believed to be the first time such concepts appear.
—Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for spy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spy
Noun
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Ashman, a 23-year-old water operative from Stafford, was one of two suspects questioned about the incident.—
Armando Tinoco,
Deadline,
3 June 2025
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Senior Hamas operatives with British citizenship have established charitable foundations that raise millions of pounds annually, some of which ends up in the hands of the group’s military wing.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
1 June 2025
Verb
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They usually are spotted alone or in groups of two or three and use side-lunging as a way of feeding on schools of fish, the NOAA said.—
Paloma Chavez,
Sacbee.com,
27 May 2025
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Then there was the math question about dividing up a sandwich that featured a major flaw one 6-year-old girl was quick to spot.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 May 2025
Noun
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Then in September, a Secret Service agent spotted the muzzle of a rifle sticking out of a fence in bushes at Trump's West Palm Beach golf club while scouting the course ahead of Trump.—
Khaleda Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 June 2025
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At Trump’s West Palm Beach, Fla., golf course on Sept. 15, a Secret Service agent scoping out the area one or two holes ahead of him saw the muzzle of an AK-47-style weapon pointing out of the tree line on the perimeter of the course.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2025
Verb
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Half a century later, President Donald Trump seems to be eyeing a similar diplomatic maneuver, but in reverse: drawing Russia closer to the United States in order to give Washington an advantage in its geopolitical competition with Communist China.—
Michael Schuman,
The Atlantic,
30 May 2025
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More recently, speculation has centered on Raquel Regalado eyeing City Hall.—
Douglas Hanks,
Miami Herald,
30 May 2025
Noun
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Want to see what else is up for grabs during Wayfair’s undercover Kelly Clarkson Home sale?—
Shea Simmons,
People.com,
6 Feb. 2025
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The Confidential Rental and Leasing Office, created under former Commissioner Ray Kelly, has an important core purpose: to give investigators, including undercovers, a way to procure and use a range of vehicles that don’t automatically give them away, which standard unmarked cop cars tend to do.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
16 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Karen Walsh began to notice a change in her husband back in 2017.—
Jon Hamilton,
NPR,
30 May 2025
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Other journalists noticed a drop-off in performance for the convertibles, and probably more so than the mild weight gains of just about 100 lbs (45 kg) might suggest.—
Michael Teo Van Runkle,
ArsTechnica,
30 May 2025
Noun
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Soon, it’ll be revealed that one of them is a mole.—
Jocelyn Noveck,
Twin Cities,
28 May 2025
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When Mission: Impossible began, and Cruise had not yet completed his transformation into a celluloid being whose veins flowed with red carpets, his character, Ethan Hunt, had more modest concerns, like finding moles in the IMF and protecting the identities of undercover CIA agents.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
23 May 2025
Verb
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And while the current president has probably seen some of Llamas' work on NBC, the anchor is also aware of his new platform.—
Ralphie Aversa,
USA Today,
2 June 2025
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Y’all probably saw me at Dream Con earlier, across y’all’s phone screens getting assaulted by DDG, his brother, [and] one of his friends.—
DeMicia Inman,
VIBE.com,
2 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spy. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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