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
Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 21 Feb. 2025
Amazon, after all, spent nearly $300 million creating its own Bond-like international British spy drama in Citadel.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Feb. 2025
Kay Johnson, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025
California Gold Marketing Group via AP More from CBS News
How to buy gold coins in 2025
Former soldier who spied for Iran and escaped prison is sentenced
Is gold a better short- or long-term investment now?
—CBS News, 4 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spy
Noun
With Bond as a family business, their relationship to the world’s most famous spy was personal.
—Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 21 Feb. 2025
Amazon, after all, spent nearly $300 million creating its own Bond-like international British spy drama in Citadel.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Feb. 2025
Verb
Firefighters focused their attention on the vicinity of the building’s heating source, an oil burning furnace, and eventually spied the flame and doused it with water, or at least tried to.
—Kay Johnson, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025
California Gold Marketing Group via AP More from CBS News
How to buy gold coins in 2025
Former soldier who spied for Iran and escaped prison is sentenced
Is gold a better short- or long-term investment now?
—CBS News, 4 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spy
Noun
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Capone was holed up in Florida at the time but is believed to have sent four assassins to take out Moran and his operatives.—
Sarah Holzmann,
Smithsonian Magazine,
14 Feb. 2025
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Law enforcement officials warned Trump last year that Tehran had placed operatives in the U.S. with access to surface-to-air missiles.—
Alex Isenstadt,
Axios,
9 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The space rock was spotted late last year and reported on Dec. 27, 2024, to the Minor Planet Center, the official authority for observing and reporting new asteroids, comets and other small bodies in the solar system.—
James Powel,
USA TODAY,
21 Feb. 2025
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According to Storyful, the fish was spotted along shallow waters of a Baja California Sur beach on Feb. 9.—
Jessica Botelho,
Baltimore Sun,
20 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The relationship between the Cubs and the Japanese player came into focus during Major League Baseball’s Winter Meetings, where Wasserman agent Joel Wolfe told reporters that the club had broached the subject of Suzuki potentially waiving his no-trade clause.—
Patrick Mooney,
The Athletic,
15 Feb. 2025
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One is focused on the agent, while the other stares at the man being scanned.—
Vicky Hallett,
NPR,
15 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Hawaii has reportedly eyed the idea positively, and rival Candela has its electric hydrofoil vessels already operating in Stockholm, Sweden, with plans for Lake Tahoe in the US, as well as Saudi Arabia and New Zealand.—
Nicole Kobie,
Forbes,
24 Feb. 2025
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On the other hand, this is expected to be an uncommonly deep draft at running back and teams looking for tailbacks may be eyeing a rookie.—
Matt Barrows,
The Athletic,
24 Feb. 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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But in the past two years, users have begun to notice advertisements for the casino taking up a sizable amount of space online.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
23 Feb. 2025
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Upon following up with the participants two weeks later, Rodriguez noticed that those who practiced cognitive reappraisal writing tasks experienced significantly less conflict, aggression and disagreements in their romantic relationship.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes,
22 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Anderson also made a big batch of mole and avoided passing out from chile fumes, then moved on to homemade masa and a Georgian walnut spread.—
Matthew Korfhage,
WIRED,
12 Feb. 2025
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Zoom in: Grumpy Pie king Alejandro Roman is topping his impossibly airy Detroit squares with black and red moles from Manchamanteles' chef Geno Bahena and pairing them with Marz brews of Abuelita Stout and Chela Negra dark lager.—
Monica Eng,
Axios,
10 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The platform also released a teaser trailer (see above) and some first-look photos (see above and below).—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
26 Feb. 2025
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Premiering March 7 as the opening title for the South by Southwest festival, Another Simple Favor sees Stephanie Smothers (Kendrick) and Emily Nelson (Lively) heading to the island of Capri for the latter’s lavish wedding.—
Ryan Gajewski,
The Hollywood Reporter,
26 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spy. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.
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