Word Frequency
spy (spaɪ
)
Definitions
noun
Word forms: plural spies
- a person employed by a state or institution to obtain secret information from rival countries, organizations, companies, etc
- a person who keeps secret watch on others
- (obsolete) a close view
verb
Word forms: spies, spying, spied
- intr usually foll by on to keep a secret or furtive watch (on)
- intr to engage in espionage
- tr to catch sight of; descry
Word Origin
C13 spien, from Old French espier, of Germanic origin; related to Old High German spehōn, Middle Dutch spienSynonyms
View thesaurus entry = undercover agent, secret agent, double agent, secret service agent, foreign agent, mole, fifth columnist, nark
Translations for 'spying'
- British English: spying Spying is the act or process of finding out secret information for a country or organization about other countries or organizations....a ten-year sentence for spying.ˈspaɪɪŋ NOUN
- Arabic: تـَجَسُّسَ
- Brazilian Portuguese: espionagem
- Chinese: 密探
- Croatian: špijuniranje
- Czech: špionáž
- Danish: spionage
- Dutch: spioneren
- European Spanish: espionaje
- Finnish: vakoilu
- French: espionnage
- German: Spionieren
- Greek: κατασκοπεία
- Italian: spionaggio
- Japanese: スパイ行為
- Korean: 정탐하기
- Norwegian: spionasje
- Polish: szpiegostwo
- Portuguese: espionagem
- Romanian: spionaj spionaje
- Russian: шпионаж
- Spanish: espionaje
- Swedish: spionage
- Thai: การสอดแนม
- Turkish: casusluk
- Ukrainian: шпигунство
- Vietnamese: sự bí mật theo dõi
Example Sentences Including 'spying'
At least my spying had made me forget my own concerns for a short time.THE GOLDEN FOOL: Book Two of the Tawny Man (2002)
Israel was to release 400 Palestinian prisoners, 35 from Arab countries and a German convicted of spying for Hezbollah.canada.com (2004)
It's like spying through the keyhole at a miserable trailer park life.Sun, News of the World (2000)
Luckily, the love songs here mostly involve love lost, or at least love caught spying through a window.Maxim (2005)
One will have to expect that the servants will be spying on us.The Ambassador's Women
Repelled by the thought of him spying on my neighbours dressed in a floral nightie, I decided to give him a wide berth.RESCUING ROSE (2002)
The Military Police maintained that the men who had run off were Serbs on a spying mission.Broken Lives
There were initial reports Yee was being investigated as part of an espionage case but he was never charged with spying.canada.com (2004)
Washington AN American intelligence analyst was charged yesterday with spying for Cuba.Glasgow Herald (2001)
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