spy

spy

S0678800 (spī)n. pl. spies (spīz) 1. One who secretly collects information concerning the enemies of a government or group.2. One who secretly collects information for a business about one or more of its competitors.3. One who secretly keeps watch on another or others. v. spied (spīd), spy·ing, spies (spīz) v.tr.1. To watch or observe secretly: was sent to spy out the enemy camp.2. To discover by close observation: "[They] are continually prowling about on all three decks, eager to spy out iniquities" (Herman Melville).3. To catch sight of; see: spied the ship on the horizon.v.intr.1. To engage in espionage.2. To investigate or observe something, especially in secret: spying into the neighbor's activities.

---

[Middle English spie, from Old French espie, from espier, to watch, of Germanic origin; see spek- in Indo-European roots.]

spy

(spaɪ) n, pl spies1. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) a person employed by a state or institution to obtain secret information from rival countries, organizations, companies, etc2. a person who keeps secret watch on others3. obsolete a close viewvb, spies, spying or spied4. (usually foll by: on) to keep a secret or furtive watch (on)5. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) (intr) to engage in espionage6. (tr) to catch sight of; descry[C13 spien, from Old French espier, of Germanic origin; related to Old High German spehōn, Middle Dutch spien]

spy

(spaɪ)

n., pl. spies, n. 1. a person employed by a government to obtain secret information or intelligence about another, usu. hostile, country. 2. a person who keeps close and secret watch on the actions and words of another or others. 3. the act of spying. v.i. 4. to observe secretively, usu. with hostile intent (often fol. by on or upon). 5. to act as a spy; engage in espionage. 6. to search for or examine something closely or carefully. v.t. 7. to catch sight of; espy: to spy a rare bird. 8. to discover by observation (often fol. by out). 9. to observe secretively, usu. with hostile intent. 10. to search or look for closely or carefully. [1200–50; (v.) Middle English spien, aph. variant of espien to espy; (n.) Middle English, aph. variant of espy a spy < Old French espie]

spy

Past participle: spied
Gerund: spying

Imperative
spy
spy

Present
I spy
you spy
he/she/it spies
we spy
you spy
they spy

Preterite
I spied
you spied
he/she/it spied
we spied
you spied
they spied

Present Continuous
I am spying
you are spying
he/she/it is spying
we are spying
you are spying
they are spying

Present Perfect
I have spied
you have spied
he/she/it has spied
we have spied
you have spied
they have spied

Past Continuous
I was spying
you were spying
he/she/it was spying
we were spying
you were spying
they were spying

Past Perfect
I had spied
you had spied
he/she/it had spied
we had spied
you had spied
they had spied

Future
I will spy
you will spy
he/she/it will spy
we will spy
you will spy
they will spy

Future Perfect
I will have spied
you will have spied
he/she/it will have spied
we will have spied
you will have spied
they will have spied

Future Continuous
I will be spying
you will be spying
he/she/it will be spying
we will be spying
you will be spying
they will be spying

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been spying
you have been spying
he/she/it has been spying
we have been spying
you have been spying
they have been spying

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been spying
you will have been spying
he/she/it will have been spying
we will have been spying
you will have been spying
they will have been spying

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been spying
you had been spying
he/she/it had been spying
we had been spying
you had been spying
they had been spying

Conditional
I would spy
you would spy
he/she/it would spy
we would spy
you would spy
they would spy

Past Conditional
I would have spied
you would have spied
he/she/it would have spied
we would have spied
you would have spied
they would have spied

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	spy - (military) a secret agent hired by a state to obtain information about its enemies or by a business to obtain industrial secrets from competitorsundercover agentarmed forces, armed services, military, military machine, war machine - the military forces of a nation; "their military is the largest in the region"; "the military machine is the same one we faced in 1991 but now it is weaker"counterspy, mole - a spy who works against enemy espionagedouble agent - a spy who works for two mutually antagonistic countriesespionage agent - someone employed to spy on another country or business competitorforeign agent - a spy for a foreign countryinfiltrator - someone who takes up a position surreptitiously for the purpose of espionageintelligence agent, intelligence officer, operative, secret agent - a person secretly employed in espionage for a governmentsleeper - a spy or saboteur or terrorist planted in an enemy country who lives there as a law-abiding citizen until activated by a prearranged signal
	2.	spy - a secret watcher; someone who secretly watches other people; "my spies tell me that you had a good time last night"snoop, snooper - a spy who makes uninvited inquiries into the private affairs of otherslooker, spectator, viewer, watcher, witness - a close observer; someone who looks at something (such as an exhibition of some kind); "the spectators applauded the performance"; "television viewers"; "sky watchers discovered a new star"shadower, tail, shadow - a spy employed to follow someone and report their movements
Verb	1.	spy - catch sight ofdescry, espy, spotsight, spy - catch sight of; to perceive with the eyes; "he caught sight of the king's men coming over the ridge"
	2.	spy - watch, observe, or inquire secretlysleuth, snoop, stagmonitor, supervise - keep tabs on; keep an eye on; keep under surveillance; "we are monitoring the air quality"; "the police monitor the suspect's moves"
	3.	spy - catch sight of; to perceive with the eyes; "he caught sight of the king's men coming over the ridge"sightperceive, comprehend - to become aware of through the senses; "I could perceive the ship coming over the horizon"descry, espy, spot, spy - catch sight ofdetect, discover, notice, observe, find - discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of; "She detected high levels of lead in her drinking water"; "We found traces of lead in the paint"
	4.	spy - secretly collect sensitive or classified information; engage in espionage; "spy for the Russians"enquire, investigate, inquire - conduct an inquiry or investigation of; "The district attorney's office investigated reports of possible irregularities"; "inquire into the disappearance of the rich old lady"

spy

noun1. undercover agent, secret agent, double agent, secret service agent, foreign agent, mole, fifth columnist, nark (Brit., Austral., & N.Z. slang) He was jailed for five years as an alleged British spy.verb1. be a spy, snoop (informal), gather intelligence, be engaged in spying, work for the secret service I never agreed to spy for the United States.2. (usually with on) watch, follow, shadow, tail (informal), trail, keep watch on, keep under surveillance He had his wife spied on for evidence in a divorce case.3. catch sight of, see, spot, notice, sight, observe, glimpse, behold (archaic or literary), set eyes on, espy, descry He was walking down the street when he spied an old freind.

spy

nounA person who secretly observes others to obtain information:agent, operative.Informal: spook.Idiom: secret agent.verb1. To observe or listen in secret to obtain information:eavesdrop.2. To perceive, especially barely or fleetingly:catch, descry, detect, discern, espy, glimpse, spot.

Translations

间谍作间谍发现密探

spy

(spai) noun a secret agent or person employed to gather information secretly especially about the military affairs of other countries. She was arrested as a spy; industrial spies. 間諜 间谍 verb1. to be a spy. He had been spying for the Russians for many years. 當間諜 作间谍2. to see or notice. She spied a human figure on the mountainside. 發現 发现ˈspyhole noun a peep-hole. 窺視孔 窥视孔spy on to watch (a person etc) secretly. The police had been spying on the gang for several months. 暗中監視 暗中监视

spy

→ 密探zhCN, 间谍zhCN