Definition of spy in English:

spy

nounPlural spies spʌɪspaɪ

1A person employed by a government or other organization to secretly obtain information on an enemy or competitor.
Example sentencesExamples
- In breaks from active service, he farmed in Hampshire, took employment with the Portuguese navy, and was briefly employed as a spy among the naval bases in southern France.
- Overcoming fear of torture and death, he became a British spy and infiltrated their camp.
- Elizabeth I's ministers had to employ spies and even use torture to gain information about threats to her life.
- During the Civil War, both sides employed spies, to little effect.
- They served as clerks and couriers, telephone and telegraph operators, code and cipher analysts, and spies behind enemy lines in Europe.
- The CIA, usually portrayed as ruthless and omniscient, turns out to have had no spies and barely any informers in the enemy camp.
- So, we've learned now that this information was shared with spies.
- My spies have sent back information that confirms that she is alive and well.
- If he was truly an enemy spy, what would become of him?
- It employs a worldwide network of spies and informants.
- Sure, there are risks, the worst being the potential compromise of spies if information leaked, but that's always a risk.
- The enemy had spies that would spread false propaganda.
- The authors warn that US networks are very vulnerable to attack by hackers or spies looking for intelligence.
- In 1938, Landau was imprisoned for a year as a suspected German spy.
- The locals feared he was a German spy and the government forced him to leave.
- You know with skills like that you might be better employed as a spy, a CIA operative or something, instead of being a therapist.
- Wherever they go they think the Feds, or the police, or spies are watching them.
- The key problem, say officials, was reliance on wiretaps and surveillance rather than human Intelligence - i.e. spies.
- They were expelled from Cornwall in 1917 because the police believed then to be spies for the enemy.
- The guy turned out to be a spy, and the information Novak passed on was therefore suspect.
Synonyms
secret agent, undercover agent, enemy agent, foreign agent, secret service agent, intelligence agent, double agent, counterspy, industrial spy, fifth columnist, mole, plant, scout
control, handler
North American spook
informal snooper
archaic intelligencer
archaic, informal beagle
1. 1.1 A person who keeps watch on others secretly.
  as modifier a spy camera
  Example sentencesExamples
  A man was caught on spy camera dumping more than half a tonne of dog mess.
  A trader today demanded spy cameras in Leigh after burglars escaped with £10,000 of mobile phone equipment from his shop.
  BIG Brother-style spy cameras are to zoom in on litterbugs who plague city streets.
  Government-funded spy cameras in Jaywick were never connected to the CCTV monitoring centre and no longer work.
  Fraud investigators could soon be taking to the streets armed with spy cameras and walkie-talkies in a clampdown on benefit crime.
  An investigation has been launched in Hoyland after a spy camera was found hidden behind a wall in a council chamber.
  The school's two rabbits Fern and Hill are new additions this year, and children have been watching a spy camera set up in a birdhouse they built.
  Did the spy cameras capture the action in the showers?
  Meanwhile, police are planning to use spy cameras in the countryside to enforce the new law.
  Weren't you paying attention to the spy cameras in my room?
  A motoring organisation has raised concerns about plans for a national network of spy cameras that will be able to track the movements of motorists around the clock.
  The fast food chain have confirmed that they have plans to install spy cameras in their toilets to deter litigious customers from claiming they fell on wet tiles.
  Improved street lighting and spy cameras have been installed in Southend as part of a £50,000 scheme to boost safety in the community.
  Hidden spy cameras, designed to trap as many motorists as possible, will be scrapped in favour of highly visible lenses.
  Police used spy camera footage to identify and convict 11 yobs.
  Mobile spy cameras are to catch out fly-tippers in the Spen Valley.
  This, he reasoned, was perfect justification for placing 5,000 spy cameras on roads the length and breadth of Britain.
  Britain's most sophisticated spy camera network was launched in Manchester today.
  A hi-tech Peeping Tom who set up a secret spy camera to film a younger female friend in the nude was caught after she spotted the lens, a court heard.
  But even when the spy cameras eventually arrive, will they solve all of Sligo's late night public order problem?

verbspied, spying, spies spʌɪspaɪ

1no object Work for a government or other organization by secretly obtaining information about enemies or competitors.
he agreed to spy for the West
Example sentencesExamples
- He spied for the Russians and is now serving a life sentence.
- Burgess, Maclean, Philby and Blunt spied out of political conviction.
- Last year's debate on intelligence reform should have centered on espionage, which we call human intelligence, or HUMINT, or spying.
- People knew that the CIA was partly about spying, and they had vague, romantic notions about spies borrowed from Ian Fleming and Graham Greene novels.
- If they are spying for a commercial competitor, the situation is different.
- On this basis, they have said, Anthony Blunt was considered to have committed treason by spying for the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
- The Army has charged him with five offenses: sedition, aiding the enemy, spying, espionage and failure to obey a general order.
- Both men were charged with spying, destabilising society, and publishing false information.
- The pirate Jean Laffite and his men were paid to scout, spy, and sometimes fight for Gen. Andrew Jackson during the War of 1812.
- Most had spied for money, but some spied out of ideological motives, and others because of grudges against their superiors.
- If he did agree to work for the rebels and became a double agent, spying for the CAS, he'd get two paychecks.
- The charges against them have been dropped from spying to ‘illegal information collection’, although the new charge still carries a possible jail sentence.
- But was she really a sleeper agent recruited by her brother to spy for the Russian NKVD?
- A short time ago, we spoke with a defense analyst who told us about other countries that are doing some spying of their own.
- He joins a multinational corporation in order to spy for them and is persuaded to become a double agent for a rival corporation, even though he doesn't know what they do, or what they want.
- Although these tools make it easier to spy, undercover agents still have to turn up at the right place at the right time in order to collect the information.
- The Einstein dossier serves as a useful reminder of the scope of FBI spying.
- The sinister, murky world of espionage is laid bare in this revised and updated edition of Philip Knightley's powerful book about spies and spying in the 20th century.
- It's one thing to know in theory that governments always spy on each other, quite another to see set out in a memo the detail of how the spying will be done.
- Government agencies have not yet been able to prevent spying and the exchange of information by agents.
Synonyms
be a spy, be engaged in spying, gather intelligence, work for the secret service
informal snoop
espionage, undercover work, cloak-and-dagger activities, surveillance, reconnaissance, intelligence, eavesdropping, cyberespionage, infiltration, counter-espionage, counter-intelligence
in Japan ninjutsu
informal bugging, wiretapping, recon
1. 1.1spy on Observe (someone) furtively.
  the couple were spied on by reporters
  Example sentencesExamples
  To pass the time, he spies on his neighbours, watching the real-life soap opera in the building across from his.
  These people are regularly keeping watch on them and spying on their movements.
  She's there to spy on her cheating husband.
  A growing number of employers are installing cameras and software to spy on you.
  A reporter has been arrested outside the home of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie for spying on the star couple with binoculars..
  He often spied on her, watching from the shadows, observing her every gesture.
  As one review put it, reading this book is like spying on your friends when they didn't know you were there.
  It had gotten to the point where I was starting to suspect my own friends of spying on me.
  Thanks to a new range of high-tech monitoring tools, it is now easier than ever to spy electronically on your children.
  The chips transmit signals and civil liberties groups fear the technology could eventually be used to spy on consumers.
  He liked the knowledge that he could spy on his neighbors if he ever needed to.
  Jeez, you'd think I was some kind of little old lady hanging around by my window all day, spying on the neighbours.
  This team is trying to make the quality of all our lives better and are certainly not going around spying on anyone.
  For once we didn't pretend we weren't spying on each other.
  He got his family to spy on her if he was out of the house.
  Unions at City Hall have accused Council bosses of breaking the law by spying on employees using CCTV cameras and other means.
  He was spying on Selina, watching her every move.
  Social network analysis could be used for something more useful than spying on employees.
  Mr Barrett believes the cameras are being misused, to spy on motorists parking, rather than watching out for crime.
  One of his favorite tricks is to call the people he's spying on and describe what he is observing through his telescopic lens.
  Most people would agree that spying on one's neighbors is detestable.
  Synonyms
  observe furtively, keep under surveillance, watch, keep a watch on, keep an eye on, keep under observation, follow, shadow, trail
  informal tail
  rare surveil
2. 1.2spy something outwith object Collect information about something to use in deciding how to act.
  he would go and spy out the land
  Example sentencesExamples
  Sherwin, prosecuting, said the two thieves pretended to be poachers as they spied out the land for future thefts.
  Wilson had repeatedly sent his younger accomplice into the victim's shop to spy out the land before launching his raid.
  Their mission, as a reconnaissance regiment, was to operate in advance of the heavy tanks, to spy out the lie of the land and report back on enemy activity and position.
  ‘We could sneak over and spy it out while he's not there,’ Melanie suggested.
2with object Discern or make out, especially by careful observation.
he could spy a figure in the distance
Example sentencesExamples
- When she reached for her drink, John couldn't help but spy a glimpse of her pale chest.
- Travellers, spying them for the first time, were lost for words.
- Walking up the aisle, he spies a familiar little figure sitting in the final row of seats near the entrance.
- We stopped to rest a moment right at the spot where we spied the White Ibis last year.
- Robert spied the sudden movement out of the corner of his eye.
- It's a good time to go exploring the maze of narrow alleys, spying the old Arabian houses with overhanging balconies and brass-studded, elaborately carved teak doors.
- I remember as a child that when we crossed the border into Italy, the customs officials, spying the license plate, would humbly ask my father whether he was a member of the Swiss government.
- I strongly recommend you pick up the book next time you spy a copy on someone's bookshelf.
- After a few minutes, he spies a familiar figure heading past his door.
- I was then undecided as to how to get back to Liverpool Street, but, spying a number 23 bus, and dredging out of my memory that they went there, I jumped on.
- Most people, spying a three to four inch spider hanging off a web between a bush and some zinnias, would have backed off.
- A year or two later, I happened to be visiting the cathedral in Derry, and spied a figure sitting quietly in prayer.
- ‘I'll just go see if I can spy your brother out there, he might want a ride home’.
- As he turns, he spies a dark figure entering the terrace from one of the other rooms, possibly the nursery, carrying a small bundle.
- She frowned and squinted when she spied a figure galloping across the lush, green hills.
- She spied a lone figure staggering aimlessly across a recently ploughed field just north of the farmhouse.
- In trying to find a comfortable place to sit, she spied a gun and picked it up to investigate it.
- I paused as I spied a familiar figure in the hallway, putting on a jacket.
- This is worrying news but Banks, spying the panic in my eyes, moves swiftly to allay fears.
- The Curragh, spiritual home of Ireland's horseracing industry, is only 20 minutes away, and you can spy million-pound horses out exercising on the downs.
Synonyms
notice, observe, see, spot, sight, catch sight of, glimpse, catch/get a glimpse of, make out, discern, pick out, detect, have sight of
informal clap/lay/set eyes on
literary espy, behold, descry

Origin

Middle English: shortening of Old French espie 'espying', espier 'espy', of Germanic origin, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin specere 'behold, look'.

species from Late Middle English:
The connection may not be immediately obvious, but species is based on Latin specere ‘to look’. The Latin root is reflected in some of the early uses of the word, such as ‘the outward look or appearance of something’, or ‘an image or reflection’. Over time this idea of the visible form of something developed into the more general notion of a thing's ‘type’ or ‘kind’. See also female. Other English words based on Latin specere or the related verb spectare include special (Middle English); spectator (late 16th century); spectre (early 17th century) (literally ‘an appearance’); specimen (early 17th century); and spy (Middle English). Another is spectacle (ME in the sense ‘a show’)—a spectacle, originally used in the singular, was a term for a device to assist eyesight as far back as the 15th century. In one of his sermons written in 1628, the poet and preacher John Donne thanked the man ‘that assists me with a Spectacle when my sight grows old’.

Rhymes

ally, Altai, apply, assai, awry, ay, aye, Baha'i, belie, bi, Bligh, buy, by, bye, bye-bye, chi, Chiangmai, Ciskei, comply, cry, Cy, Dai, defy, deny, Di, die, do-or-die, dry, Dubai, dye, espy, eye, fie, fly, forbye, fry, Frye, goodbye (US goodby), guy, hereby, hi, hie, high, I, imply, I-spy, July, kai, lie, lye, Mackay, misapply, my, nearby, nigh, Nye, outfly, passer-by, phi, pi, pie, ply, pry, psi, Qinghai, rai, rely, rocaille, rye, scry, serai, shanghai, shy, sigh, sky, Skye, sky-high, sly, spin-dry, spry, sty, Sukhotai, supply, Tai, Thai, thereby, thigh, thy, tie, Transkei, try, tumble-dry, underlie, Versailles, Vi, vie, whereby, why, wry, Wye, xi, Xingtai, Yantai

Definition of spy in US English:

spy

nounspīspaɪ

1A person who secretly collects and reports information on the activities, movements, and plans of an enemy or competitor.
Example sentencesExamples
- In 1938, Landau was imprisoned for a year as a suspected German spy.
- The guy turned out to be a spy, and the information Novak passed on was therefore suspect.
- The locals feared he was a German spy and the government forced him to leave.
- Wherever they go they think the Feds, or the police, or spies are watching them.
- During the Civil War, both sides employed spies, to little effect.
- If he was truly an enemy spy, what would become of him?
- So, we've learned now that this information was shared with spies.
- Elizabeth I's ministers had to employ spies and even use torture to gain information about threats to her life.
- In breaks from active service, he farmed in Hampshire, took employment with the Portuguese navy, and was briefly employed as a spy among the naval bases in southern France.
- Sure, there are risks, the worst being the potential compromise of spies if information leaked, but that's always a risk.
- The key problem, say officials, was reliance on wiretaps and surveillance rather than human Intelligence - i.e. spies.
- My spies have sent back information that confirms that she is alive and well.
- The CIA, usually portrayed as ruthless and omniscient, turns out to have had no spies and barely any informers in the enemy camp.
- You know with skills like that you might be better employed as a spy, a CIA operative or something, instead of being a therapist.
- Overcoming fear of torture and death, he became a British spy and infiltrated their camp.
- The enemy had spies that would spread false propaganda.
- It employs a worldwide network of spies and informants.
- The authors warn that US networks are very vulnerable to attack by hackers or spies looking for intelligence.
- They served as clerks and couriers, telephone and telegraph operators, code and cipher analysts, and spies behind enemy lines in Europe.
- They were expelled from Cornwall in 1917 because the police believed then to be spies for the enemy.
Synonyms
secret agent, undercover agent, enemy agent, foreign agent, secret service agent, intelligence agent, double agent, counterspy, industrial spy, fifth columnist, mole, plant, scout
1. 1.1 A person who keeps watch on others secretly.
  as modifier a spy camera
  Example sentencesExamples
  Weren't you paying attention to the spy cameras in my room?
  The school's two rabbits Fern and Hill are new additions this year, and children have been watching a spy camera set up in a birdhouse they built.
  Did the spy cameras capture the action in the showers?
  Fraud investigators could soon be taking to the streets armed with spy cameras and walkie-talkies in a clampdown on benefit crime.
  Britain's most sophisticated spy camera network was launched in Manchester today.
  Improved street lighting and spy cameras have been installed in Southend as part of a £50,000 scheme to boost safety in the community.
  Mobile spy cameras are to catch out fly-tippers in the Spen Valley.
  A trader today demanded spy cameras in Leigh after burglars escaped with £10,000 of mobile phone equipment from his shop.
  BIG Brother-style spy cameras are to zoom in on litterbugs who plague city streets.
  A motoring organisation has raised concerns about plans for a national network of spy cameras that will be able to track the movements of motorists around the clock.
  A man was caught on spy camera dumping more than half a tonne of dog mess.
  Meanwhile, police are planning to use spy cameras in the countryside to enforce the new law.
  Police used spy camera footage to identify and convict 11 yobs.
  An investigation has been launched in Hoyland after a spy camera was found hidden behind a wall in a council chamber.
  This, he reasoned, was perfect justification for placing 5,000 spy cameras on roads the length and breadth of Britain.
  Hidden spy cameras, designed to trap as many motorists as possible, will be scrapped in favour of highly visible lenses.
  The fast food chain have confirmed that they have plans to install spy cameras in their toilets to deter litigious customers from claiming they fell on wet tiles.
  A hi-tech Peeping Tom who set up a secret spy camera to film a younger female friend in the nude was caught after she spotted the lens, a court heard.
  Government-funded spy cameras in Jaywick were never connected to the CCTV monitoring centre and no longer work.
  But even when the spy cameras eventually arrive, will they solve all of Sligo's late night public order problem?

verbspīspaɪ

[no object]

1Work for a government or other organization by secretly collecting information about enemies or competitors.
he agreed to spy for the West
Example sentencesExamples
- People knew that the CIA was partly about spying, and they had vague, romantic notions about spies borrowed from Ian Fleming and Graham Greene novels.
- On this basis, they have said, Anthony Blunt was considered to have committed treason by spying for the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
- The sinister, murky world of espionage is laid bare in this revised and updated edition of Philip Knightley's powerful book about spies and spying in the 20th century.
- Although these tools make it easier to spy, undercover agents still have to turn up at the right place at the right time in order to collect the information.
- The Einstein dossier serves as a useful reminder of the scope of FBI spying.
- Government agencies have not yet been able to prevent spying and the exchange of information by agents.
- He spied for the Russians and is now serving a life sentence.
- Most had spied for money, but some spied out of ideological motives, and others because of grudges against their superiors.
- The charges against them have been dropped from spying to ‘illegal information collection’, although the new charge still carries a possible jail sentence.
- Last year's debate on intelligence reform should have centered on espionage, which we call human intelligence, or HUMINT, or spying.
- The pirate Jean Laffite and his men were paid to scout, spy, and sometimes fight for Gen. Andrew Jackson during the War of 1812.
- Both men were charged with spying, destabilising society, and publishing false information.
- It's one thing to know in theory that governments always spy on each other, quite another to see set out in a memo the detail of how the spying will be done.
- He joins a multinational corporation in order to spy for them and is persuaded to become a double agent for a rival corporation, even though he doesn't know what they do, or what they want.
- A short time ago, we spoke with a defense analyst who told us about other countries that are doing some spying of their own.
- Burgess, Maclean, Philby and Blunt spied out of political conviction.
- If they are spying for a commercial competitor, the situation is different.
- If he did agree to work for the rebels and became a double agent, spying for the CAS, he'd get two paychecks.
- The Army has charged him with five offenses: sedition, aiding the enemy, spying, espionage and failure to obey a general order.
- But was she really a sleeper agent recruited by her brother to spy for the Russian NKVD?
Synonyms
espionage, undercover work, cloak-and-dagger activities, surveillance, reconnaissance, intelligence, eavesdropping, cyberespionage, infiltration, counter-espionage, counter-intelligence
be a spy, be engaged in spying, gather intelligence, work for the secret service
1. 1.1spy on Observe (someone) furtively.
  the couple were spied on by reporters
  Example sentencesExamples
  A growing number of employers are installing cameras and software to spy on you.
  This team is trying to make the quality of all our lives better and are certainly not going around spying on anyone.
  He got his family to spy on her if he was out of the house.
  These people are regularly keeping watch on them and spying on their movements.
  For once we didn't pretend we weren't spying on each other.
  As one review put it, reading this book is like spying on your friends when they didn't know you were there.
  Thanks to a new range of high-tech monitoring tools, it is now easier than ever to spy electronically on your children.
  One of his favorite tricks is to call the people he's spying on and describe what he is observing through his telescopic lens.
  Jeez, you'd think I was some kind of little old lady hanging around by my window all day, spying on the neighbours.
  He liked the knowledge that he could spy on his neighbors if he ever needed to.
  It had gotten to the point where I was starting to suspect my own friends of spying on me.
  Most people would agree that spying on one's neighbors is detestable.
  She's there to spy on her cheating husband.
  Mr Barrett believes the cameras are being misused, to spy on motorists parking, rather than watching out for crime.
  Unions at City Hall have accused Council bosses of breaking the law by spying on employees using CCTV cameras and other means.
  A reporter has been arrested outside the home of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie for spying on the star couple with binoculars..
  He often spied on her, watching from the shadows, observing her every gesture.
  He was spying on Selina, watching her every move.
  The chips transmit signals and civil liberties groups fear the technology could eventually be used to spy on consumers.
  To pass the time, he spies on his neighbours, watching the real-life soap opera in the building across from his.
  Social network analysis could be used for something more useful than spying on employees.
  Synonyms
  observe furtively, keep under surveillance, watch, keep a watch on, keep an eye on, keep under observation, follow, shadow, trail
2. 1.2with object Discern or make out, especially by careful observation.
  he could spy a figure in the distance
  Example sentencesExamples
  A year or two later, I happened to be visiting the cathedral in Derry, and spied a figure sitting quietly in prayer.
  Robert spied the sudden movement out of the corner of his eye.
  Walking up the aisle, he spies a familiar little figure sitting in the final row of seats near the entrance.
  We stopped to rest a moment right at the spot where we spied the White Ibis last year.
  She spied a lone figure staggering aimlessly across a recently ploughed field just north of the farmhouse.
  This is worrying news but Banks, spying the panic in my eyes, moves swiftly to allay fears.
  When she reached for her drink, John couldn't help but spy a glimpse of her pale chest.
  I remember as a child that when we crossed the border into Italy, the customs officials, spying the license plate, would humbly ask my father whether he was a member of the Swiss government.
  I was then undecided as to how to get back to Liverpool Street, but, spying a number 23 bus, and dredging out of my memory that they went there, I jumped on.
  Travellers, spying them for the first time, were lost for words.
  Most people, spying a three to four inch spider hanging off a web between a bush and some zinnias, would have backed off.
  I paused as I spied a familiar figure in the hallway, putting on a jacket.
  I strongly recommend you pick up the book next time you spy a copy on someone's bookshelf.
  She frowned and squinted when she spied a figure galloping across the lush, green hills.
  The Curragh, spiritual home of Ireland's horseracing industry, is only 20 minutes away, and you can spy million-pound horses out exercising on the downs.
  As he turns, he spies a dark figure entering the terrace from one of the other rooms, possibly the nursery, carrying a small bundle.
  It's a good time to go exploring the maze of narrow alleys, spying the old Arabian houses with overhanging balconies and brass-studded, elaborately carved teak doors.
  ‘I'll just go see if I can spy your brother out there, he might want a ride home’.
  After a few minutes, he spies a familiar figure heading past his door.
  In trying to find a comfortable place to sit, she spied a gun and picked it up to investigate it.
  Synonyms
  notice, observe, see, spot, sight, catch sight of, glimpse, catch a glimpse of, get a glimpse of, make out, discern, pick out, detect, have sight of
3. 1.3spy something outwith object Collect information about something to use in deciding how to act.
  he would go and spy out the land
  Example sentencesExamples
  Sherwin, prosecuting, said the two thieves pretended to be poachers as they spied out the land for future thefts.
  ‘We could sneak over and spy it out while he's not there,’ Melanie suggested.
  Wilson had repeatedly sent his younger accomplice into the victim's shop to spy out the land before launching his raid.
  Their mission, as a reconnaissance regiment, was to operate in advance of the heavy tanks, to spy out the lie of the land and report back on enemy activity and position.

Origin

Middle English: shortening of Old French espie ‘espying’, espier ‘espy’, of Germanic origin, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin specere ‘behold, look’.

单词	spy
释义	Definition of spy in English: spy nounPlural spies spʌɪspaɪ 1A person employed by a government or other organization to secretly obtain information on an enemy or competitor. Example sentencesExamples In breaks from active service, he farmed in Hampshire, took employment with the Portuguese navy, and was briefly employed as a spy among the naval bases in southern France. Overcoming fear of torture and death, he became a British spy and infiltrated their camp. Elizabeth I's ministers had to employ spies and even use torture to gain information about threats to her life. During the Civil War, both sides employed spies, to little effect. They served as clerks and couriers, telephone and telegraph operators, code and cipher analysts, and spies behind enemy lines in Europe. The CIA, usually portrayed as ruthless and omniscient, turns out to have had no spies and barely any informers in the enemy camp. So, we've learned now that this information was shared with spies. My spies have sent back information that confirms that she is alive and well. If he was truly an enemy spy, what would become of him? It employs a worldwide network of spies and informants. Sure, there are risks, the worst being the potential compromise of spies if information leaked, but that's always a risk. The enemy had spies that would spread false propaganda. The authors warn that US networks are very vulnerable to attack by hackers or spies looking for intelligence. In 1938, Landau was imprisoned for a year as a suspected German spy. The locals feared he was a German spy and the government forced him to leave. You know with skills like that you might be better employed as a spy, a CIA operative or something, instead of being a therapist. Wherever they go they think the Feds, or the police, or spies are watching them. The key problem, say officials, was reliance on wiretaps and surveillance rather than human Intelligence - i.e. spies. They were expelled from Cornwall in 1917 because the police believed then to be spies for the enemy. The guy turned out to be a spy, and the information Novak passed on was therefore suspect. Synonyms secret agent, undercover agent, enemy agent, foreign agent, secret service agent, intelligence agent, double agent, counterspy, industrial spy, fifth columnist, mole, plant, scout control, handler North American spook informal snooper archaic intelligencer archaic, informal beagle 1.1 A person who keeps watch on others secretly. as modifier a spy camera Example sentencesExamples A man was caught on spy camera dumping more than half a tonne of dog mess. A trader today demanded spy cameras in Leigh after burglars escaped with £10,000 of mobile phone equipment from his shop. BIG Brother-style spy cameras are to zoom in on litterbugs who plague city streets. Government-funded spy cameras in Jaywick were never connected to the CCTV monitoring centre and no longer work. Fraud investigators could soon be taking to the streets armed with spy cameras and walkie-talkies in a clampdown on benefit crime. An investigation has been launched in Hoyland after a spy camera was found hidden behind a wall in a council chamber. The school's two rabbits Fern and Hill are new additions this year, and children have been watching a spy camera set up in a birdhouse they built. Did the spy cameras capture the action in the showers? Meanwhile, police are planning to use spy cameras in the countryside to enforce the new law. Weren't you paying attention to the spy cameras in my room? A motoring organisation has raised concerns about plans for a national network of spy cameras that will be able to track the movements of motorists around the clock. The fast food chain have confirmed that they have plans to install spy cameras in their toilets to deter litigious customers from claiming they fell on wet tiles. Improved street lighting and spy cameras have been installed in Southend as part of a £50,000 scheme to boost safety in the community. Hidden spy cameras, designed to trap as many motorists as possible, will be scrapped in favour of highly visible lenses. Police used spy camera footage to identify and convict 11 yobs. Mobile spy cameras are to catch out fly-tippers in the Spen Valley. This, he reasoned, was perfect justification for placing 5,000 spy cameras on roads the length and breadth of Britain. Britain's most sophisticated spy camera network was launched in Manchester today. A hi-tech Peeping Tom who set up a secret spy camera to film a younger female friend in the nude was caught after she spotted the lens, a court heard. But even when the spy cameras eventually arrive, will they solve all of Sligo's late night public order problem? verbspied, spying, spies spʌɪspaɪ 1no object Work for a government or other organization by secretly obtaining information about enemies or competitors. he agreed to spy for the West Example sentencesExamples He spied for the Russians and is now serving a life sentence. Burgess, Maclean, Philby and Blunt spied out of political conviction. Last year's debate on intelligence reform should have centered on espionage, which we call human intelligence, or HUMINT, or spying. People knew that the CIA was partly about spying, and they had vague, romantic notions about spies borrowed from Ian Fleming and Graham Greene novels. If they are spying for a commercial competitor, the situation is different. On this basis, they have said, Anthony Blunt was considered to have committed treason by spying for the Soviet Union during the Cold War. The Army has charged him with five offenses: sedition, aiding the enemy, spying, espionage and failure to obey a general order. Both men were charged with spying, destabilising society, and publishing false information. The pirate Jean Laffite and his men were paid to scout, spy, and sometimes fight for Gen. Andrew Jackson during the War of 1812. Most had spied for money, but some spied out of ideological motives, and others because of grudges against their superiors. If he did agree to work for the rebels and became a double agent, spying for the CAS, he'd get two paychecks. The charges against them have been dropped from spying to ‘illegal information collection’, although the new charge still carries a possible jail sentence. But was she really a sleeper agent recruited by her brother to spy for the Russian NKVD? A short time ago, we spoke with a defense analyst who told us about other countries that are doing some spying of their own. He joins a multinational corporation in order to spy for them and is persuaded to become a double agent for a rival corporation, even though he doesn't know what they do, or what they want. Although these tools make it easier to spy, undercover agents still have to turn up at the right place at the right time in order to collect the information. The Einstein dossier serves as a useful reminder of the scope of FBI spying. The sinister, murky world of espionage is laid bare in this revised and updated edition of Philip Knightley's powerful book about spies and spying in the 20th century. It's one thing to know in theory that governments always spy on each other, quite another to see set out in a memo the detail of how the spying will be done. Government agencies have not yet been able to prevent spying and the exchange of information by agents. Synonyms be a spy, be engaged in spying, gather intelligence, work for the secret service informal snoop espionage, undercover work, cloak-and-dagger activities, surveillance, reconnaissance, intelligence, eavesdropping, cyberespionage, infiltration, counter-espionage, counter-intelligence in Japan ninjutsu informal bugging, wiretapping, recon 1.1spy on Observe (someone) furtively. the couple were spied on by reporters Example sentencesExamples To pass the time, he spies on his neighbours, watching the real-life soap opera in the building across from his. These people are regularly keeping watch on them and spying on their movements. She's there to spy on her cheating husband. A growing number of employers are installing cameras and software to spy on you. A reporter has been arrested outside the home of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie for spying on the star couple with binoculars.. He often spied on her, watching from the shadows, observing her every gesture. As one review put it, reading this book is like spying on your friends when they didn't know you were there. It had gotten to the point where I was starting to suspect my own friends of spying on me. Thanks to a new range of high-tech monitoring tools, it is now easier than ever to spy electronically on your children. The chips transmit signals and civil liberties groups fear the technology could eventually be used to spy on consumers. He liked the knowledge that he could spy on his neighbors if he ever needed to. Jeez, you'd think I was some kind of little old lady hanging around by my window all day, spying on the neighbours. This team is trying to make the quality of all our lives better and are certainly not going around spying on anyone. For once we didn't pretend we weren't spying on each other. He got his family to spy on her if he was out of the house. Unions at City Hall have accused Council bosses of breaking the law by spying on employees using CCTV cameras and other means. He was spying on Selina, watching her every move. Social network analysis could be used for something more useful than spying on employees. Mr Barrett believes the cameras are being misused, to spy on motorists parking, rather than watching out for crime. One of his favorite tricks is to call the people he's spying on and describe what he is observing through his telescopic lens. Most people would agree that spying on one's neighbors is detestable. Synonyms observe furtively, keep under surveillance, watch, keep a watch on, keep an eye on, keep under observation, follow, shadow, trail informal tail rare surveil 1.2spy something outwith object Collect information about something to use in deciding how to act. he would go and spy out the land Example sentencesExamples Sherwin, prosecuting, said the two thieves pretended to be poachers as they spied out the land for future thefts. Wilson had repeatedly sent his younger accomplice into the victim's shop to spy out the land before launching his raid. Their mission, as a reconnaissance regiment, was to operate in advance of the heavy tanks, to spy out the lie of the land and report back on enemy activity and position. ‘We could sneak over and spy it out while he's not there,’ Melanie suggested. 2with object Discern or make out, especially by careful observation. he could spy a figure in the distance Example sentencesExamples When she reached for her drink, John couldn't help but spy a glimpse of her pale chest. Travellers, spying them for the first time, were lost for words. Walking up the aisle, he spies a familiar little figure sitting in the final row of seats near the entrance. We stopped to rest a moment right at the spot where we spied the White Ibis last year. Robert spied the sudden movement out of the corner of his eye. It's a good time to go exploring the maze of narrow alleys, spying the old Arabian houses with overhanging balconies and brass-studded, elaborately carved teak doors. I remember as a child that when we crossed the border into Italy, the customs officials, spying the license plate, would humbly ask my father whether he was a member of the Swiss government. I strongly recommend you pick up the book next time you spy a copy on someone's bookshelf. After a few minutes, he spies a familiar figure heading past his door. I was then undecided as to how to get back to Liverpool Street, but, spying a number 23 bus, and dredging out of my memory that they went there, I jumped on. Most people, spying a three to four inch spider hanging off a web between a bush and some zinnias, would have backed off. A year or two later, I happened to be visiting the cathedral in Derry, and spied a figure sitting quietly in prayer. ‘I'll just go see if I can spy your brother out there, he might want a ride home’. As he turns, he spies a dark figure entering the terrace from one of the other rooms, possibly the nursery, carrying a small bundle. She frowned and squinted when she spied a figure galloping across the lush, green hills. She spied a lone figure staggering aimlessly across a recently ploughed field just north of the farmhouse. In trying to find a comfortable place to sit, she spied a gun and picked it up to investigate it. I paused as I spied a familiar figure in the hallway, putting on a jacket. This is worrying news but Banks, spying the panic in my eyes, moves swiftly to allay fears. The Curragh, spiritual home of Ireland's horseracing industry, is only 20 minutes away, and you can spy million-pound horses out exercising on the downs. Synonyms notice, observe, see, spot, sight, catch sight of, glimpse, catch/get a glimpse of, make out, discern, pick out, detect, have sight of informal clap/lay/set eyes on literary espy, behold, descry Origin Middle English: shortening of Old French espie 'espying', espier 'espy', of Germanic origin, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin specere 'behold, look'. species from Late Middle English: The connection may not be immediately obvious, but species is based on Latin specere ‘to look’. The Latin root is reflected in some of the early uses of the word, such as ‘the outward look or appearance of something’, or ‘an image or reflection’. Over time this idea of the visible form of something developed into the more general notion of a thing's ‘type’ or ‘kind’. See also female. Other English words based on Latin specere or the related verb spectare include special (Middle English); spectator (late 16th century); spectre (early 17th century) (literally ‘an appearance’); specimen (early 17th century); and spy (Middle English). Another is spectacle (ME in the sense ‘a show’)—a spectacle, originally used in the singular, was a term for a device to assist eyesight as far back as the 15th century. In one of his sermons written in 1628, the poet and preacher John Donne thanked the man ‘that assists me with a Spectacle when my sight grows old’. Rhymes ally, Altai, apply, assai, awry, ay, aye, Baha'i, belie, bi, Bligh, buy, by, bye, bye-bye, chi, Chiangmai, Ciskei, comply, cry, Cy, Dai, defy, deny, Di, die, do-or-die, dry, Dubai, dye, espy, eye, fie, fly, forbye, fry, Frye, goodbye (US goodby), guy, hereby, hi, hie, high, I, imply, I-spy, July, kai, lie, lye, Mackay, misapply, my, nearby, nigh, Nye, outfly, passer-by, phi, pi, pie, ply, pry, psi, Qinghai, rai, rely, rocaille, rye, scry, serai, shanghai, shy, sigh, sky, Skye, sky-high, sly, spin-dry, spry, sty, Sukhotai, supply, Tai, Thai, thereby, thigh, thy, tie, Transkei, try, tumble-dry, underlie, Versailles, Vi, vie, whereby, why, wry, Wye, xi, Xingtai, Yantai Definition of spy in US English: spy nounspīspaɪ 1A person who secretly collects and reports information on the activities, movements, and plans of an enemy or competitor. Example sentencesExamples In 1938, Landau was imprisoned for a year as a suspected German spy. The guy turned out to be a spy, and the information Novak passed on was therefore suspect. The locals feared he was a German spy and the government forced him to leave. Wherever they go they think the Feds, or the police, or spies are watching them. During the Civil War, both sides employed spies, to little effect. If he was truly an enemy spy, what would become of him? So, we've learned now that this information was shared with spies. Elizabeth I's ministers had to employ spies and even use torture to gain information about threats to her life. In breaks from active service, he farmed in Hampshire, took employment with the Portuguese navy, and was briefly employed as a spy among the naval bases in southern France. Sure, there are risks, the worst being the potential compromise of spies if information leaked, but that's always a risk. The key problem, say officials, was reliance on wiretaps and surveillance rather than human Intelligence - i.e. spies. My spies have sent back information that confirms that she is alive and well. The CIA, usually portrayed as ruthless and omniscient, turns out to have had no spies and barely any informers in the enemy camp. You know with skills like that you might be better employed as a spy, a CIA operative or something, instead of being a therapist. Overcoming fear of torture and death, he became a British spy and infiltrated their camp. The enemy had spies that would spread false propaganda. It employs a worldwide network of spies and informants. The authors warn that US networks are very vulnerable to attack by hackers or spies looking for intelligence. They served as clerks and couriers, telephone and telegraph operators, code and cipher analysts, and spies behind enemy lines in Europe. They were expelled from Cornwall in 1917 because the police believed then to be spies for the enemy. Synonyms secret agent, undercover agent, enemy agent, foreign agent, secret service agent, intelligence agent, double agent, counterspy, industrial spy, fifth columnist, mole, plant, scout 1.1 A person who keeps watch on others secretly. as modifier a spy camera Example sentencesExamples Weren't you paying attention to the spy cameras in my room? The school's two rabbits Fern and Hill are new additions this year, and children have been watching a spy camera set up in a birdhouse they built. Did the spy cameras capture the action in the showers? Fraud investigators could soon be taking to the streets armed with spy cameras and walkie-talkies in a clampdown on benefit crime. Britain's most sophisticated spy camera network was launched in Manchester today. Improved street lighting and spy cameras have been installed in Southend as part of a £50,000 scheme to boost safety in the community. Mobile spy cameras are to catch out fly-tippers in the Spen Valley. A trader today demanded spy cameras in Leigh after burglars escaped with £10,000 of mobile phone equipment from his shop. BIG Brother-style spy cameras are to zoom in on litterbugs who plague city streets. A motoring organisation has raised concerns about plans for a national network of spy cameras that will be able to track the movements of motorists around the clock. A man was caught on spy camera dumping more than half a tonne of dog mess. Meanwhile, police are planning to use spy cameras in the countryside to enforce the new law. Police used spy camera footage to identify and convict 11 yobs. An investigation has been launched in Hoyland after a spy camera was found hidden behind a wall in a council chamber. This, he reasoned, was perfect justification for placing 5,000 spy cameras on roads the length and breadth of Britain. Hidden spy cameras, designed to trap as many motorists as possible, will be scrapped in favour of highly visible lenses. The fast food chain have confirmed that they have plans to install spy cameras in their toilets to deter litigious customers from claiming they fell on wet tiles. A hi-tech Peeping Tom who set up a secret spy camera to film a younger female friend in the nude was caught after she spotted the lens, a court heard. Government-funded spy cameras in Jaywick were never connected to the CCTV monitoring centre and no longer work. But even when the spy cameras eventually arrive, will they solve all of Sligo's late night public order problem? verbspīspaɪ [no object] 1Work for a government or other organization by secretly collecting information about enemies or competitors. he agreed to spy for the West Example sentencesExamples People knew that the CIA was partly about spying, and they had vague, romantic notions about spies borrowed from Ian Fleming and Graham Greene novels. On this basis, they have said, Anthony Blunt was considered to have committed treason by spying for the Soviet Union during the Cold War. The sinister, murky world of espionage is laid bare in this revised and updated edition of Philip Knightley's powerful book about spies and spying in the 20th century. Although these tools make it easier to spy, undercover agents still have to turn up at the right place at the right time in order to collect the information. The Einstein dossier serves as a useful reminder of the scope of FBI spying. Government agencies have not yet been able to prevent spying and the exchange of information by agents. He spied for the Russians and is now serving a life sentence. Most had spied for money, but some spied out of ideological motives, and others because of grudges against their superiors. The charges against them have been dropped from spying to ‘illegal information collection’, although the new charge still carries a possible jail sentence. Last year's debate on intelligence reform should have centered on espionage, which we call human intelligence, or HUMINT, or spying. The pirate Jean Laffite and his men were paid to scout, spy, and sometimes fight for Gen. Andrew Jackson during the War of 1812. Both men were charged with spying, destabilising society, and publishing false information. It's one thing to know in theory that governments always spy on each other, quite another to see set out in a memo the detail of how the spying will be done. He joins a multinational corporation in order to spy for them and is persuaded to become a double agent for a rival corporation, even though he doesn't know what they do, or what they want. A short time ago, we spoke with a defense analyst who told us about other countries that are doing some spying of their own. Burgess, Maclean, Philby and Blunt spied out of political conviction. If they are spying for a commercial competitor, the situation is different. If he did agree to work for the rebels and became a double agent, spying for the CAS, he'd get two paychecks. The Army has charged him with five offenses: sedition, aiding the enemy, spying, espionage and failure to obey a general order. But was she really a sleeper agent recruited by her brother to spy for the Russian NKVD? Synonyms espionage, undercover work, cloak-and-dagger activities, surveillance, reconnaissance, intelligence, eavesdropping, cyberespionage, infiltration, counter-espionage, counter-intelligence be a spy, be engaged in spying, gather intelligence, work for the secret service 1.1spy on Observe (someone) furtively. the couple were spied on by reporters Example sentencesExamples A growing number of employers are installing cameras and software to spy on you. This team is trying to make the quality of all our lives better and are certainly not going around spying on anyone. He got his family to spy on her if he was out of the house. These people are regularly keeping watch on them and spying on their movements. For once we didn't pretend we weren't spying on each other. As one review put it, reading this book is like spying on your friends when they didn't know you were there. Thanks to a new range of high-tech monitoring tools, it is now easier than ever to spy electronically on your children. One of his favorite tricks is to call the people he's spying on and describe what he is observing through his telescopic lens. Jeez, you'd think I was some kind of little old lady hanging around by my window all day, spying on the neighbours. He liked the knowledge that he could spy on his neighbors if he ever needed to. It had gotten to the point where I was starting to suspect my own friends of spying on me. Most people would agree that spying on one's neighbors is detestable. She's there to spy on her cheating husband. Mr Barrett believes the cameras are being misused, to spy on motorists parking, rather than watching out for crime. Unions at City Hall have accused Council bosses of breaking the law by spying on employees using CCTV cameras and other means. A reporter has been arrested outside the home of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie for spying on the star couple with binoculars.. He often spied on her, watching from the shadows, observing her every gesture. He was spying on Selina, watching her every move. The chips transmit signals and civil liberties groups fear the technology could eventually be used to spy on consumers. To pass the time, he spies on his neighbours, watching the real-life soap opera in the building across from his. Social network analysis could be used for something more useful than spying on employees. Synonyms observe furtively, keep under surveillance, watch, keep a watch on, keep an eye on, keep under observation, follow, shadow, trail 1.2with object Discern or make out, especially by careful observation. he could spy a figure in the distance Example sentencesExamples A year or two later, I happened to be visiting the cathedral in Derry, and spied a figure sitting quietly in prayer. Robert spied the sudden movement out of the corner of his eye. Walking up the aisle, he spies a familiar little figure sitting in the final row of seats near the entrance. We stopped to rest a moment right at the spot where we spied the White Ibis last year. She spied a lone figure staggering aimlessly across a recently ploughed field just north of the farmhouse. This is worrying news but Banks, spying the panic in my eyes, moves swiftly to allay fears. When she reached for her drink, John couldn't help but spy a glimpse of her pale chest. I remember as a child that when we crossed the border into Italy, the customs officials, spying the license plate, would humbly ask my father whether he was a member of the Swiss government. I was then undecided as to how to get back to Liverpool Street, but, spying a number 23 bus, and dredging out of my memory that they went there, I jumped on. Travellers, spying them for the first time, were lost for words. Most people, spying a three to four inch spider hanging off a web between a bush and some zinnias, would have backed off. I paused as I spied a familiar figure in the hallway, putting on a jacket. I strongly recommend you pick up the book next time you spy a copy on someone's bookshelf. She frowned and squinted when she spied a figure galloping across the lush, green hills. The Curragh, spiritual home of Ireland's horseracing industry, is only 20 minutes away, and you can spy million-pound horses out exercising on the downs. As he turns, he spies a dark figure entering the terrace from one of the other rooms, possibly the nursery, carrying a small bundle. It's a good time to go exploring the maze of narrow alleys, spying the old Arabian houses with overhanging balconies and brass-studded, elaborately carved teak doors. ‘I'll just go see if I can spy your brother out there, he might want a ride home’. After a few minutes, he spies a familiar figure heading past his door. In trying to find a comfortable place to sit, she spied a gun and picked it up to investigate it. Synonyms notice, observe, see, spot, sight, catch sight of, glimpse, catch a glimpse of, get a glimpse of, make out, discern, pick out, detect, have sight of 1.3spy something outwith object Collect information about something to use in deciding how to act. he would go and spy out the land Example sentencesExamples Sherwin, prosecuting, said the two thieves pretended to be poachers as they spied out the land for future thefts. ‘We could sneak over and spy it out while he's not there,’ Melanie suggested. Wilson had repeatedly sent his younger accomplice into the victim's shop to spy out the land before launching his raid. Their mission, as a reconnaissance regiment, was to operate in advance of the heavy tanks, to spy out the lie of the land and report back on enemy activity and position. Origin Middle English: shortening of Old French espie ‘espying’, espier ‘espy’, of Germanic origin, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin specere ‘behold, look’.
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