spy
Noun:
- A secret watcher; someone who secretly collects information: A person who is employed by a government or organization to obtain secret information about another country, organization, or person.
- A secret agent: A person involved in espionage, often working for a state or company to gather intelligence on enemies or competitors.
Verb:
- To secretly collect sensitive information; to engage in espionage: To act as a spy; to obtain secret information covertly.
- To catch sight of; to see or notice: To observe or perceive someone or something, often suddenly or from a distance.
- To watch, observe, or inquire secretly: To examine or investigate something in a covert manner.
Noun:
- The spy was caught trying to steal classified documents.
- He worked as a corporate spy for a rival technology firm.
Verb (to engage in espionage):
- She was accused of spying for a foreign power.
- The agent spied on the enemy's communications.
Verb (to catch sight of):
- I spied a rare bird in the tree from my window.
- He spied his friend across the crowded room.
Verb (to watch secretly):
- The detective spied on the suspect's house for a week.
- Children love to spy on their parents from the staircase.
"to spy out": To explore or examine an area secretly to gain information.
- The scouts were sent to spy out the land before the army advanced.
"to spy on someone's movements": To secretly monitor and track a person's activities.
- The journalist felt she was being spied on by government agents.
Espionage (n): The practice of spying or using spies to obtain information.
- The novel is a thriller about international espionage.
Spyware (n): Software that secretly monitors and collects information from a computer.
- You should install antivirus software to protect against spyware.
Spymaster (n): A person who directs or controls a network of spies.
- The spymaster coordinated the intelligence operation from a secure location.
- Noun: Agent, operative, informant, mole, undercover agent.
- Verb (to watch): Observe, monitor, surveil, scout.
- Verb (to see): Spot, glimpse, notice, discern.
Spy on: To watch someone secretly to discover information about them.
- The company was spying on its competitors' research.
Spy out: To discover or find out something by careful observation or investigation.
- They hoped to spy out the weaknesses in the enemy's defenses.
A spy in the camp: A person within a group who is secretly working for an opposing group.
- The CEO feared there was a spy in the camp leaking plans to the press.
To spy with the naked eye: To see something without the aid of any device like binoculars or a telescope.
- You can spy the island with the naked eye on a clear day.
- a secret watcher; someone who secretly watches other people
- my spies tell me that you had a good time last night
- (military) a secret agent hired by a state to obtain information about its enemies or by a business to obtain industrial secrets from competitors
- secretly collect sensitive or classified information; engage in espionage
- spy for the Russians
- catch sight of; to perceive with the eyes
- he caught sight of the king's men coming over the ridge
- watch, observe, or inquire secretly
- catch sight of