spy
2 ENTRIES FOUND:
plural
spies
plural
spies
Britannica Dictionary definition of SPY
[count]
1
:
a person who tries secretly to get information about a country or organization for another country or organization
— often used before another noun
-
He was a spy for the CIA.
-
a Cold War spy
-
a spy novel/thriller [=a novel/thriller about spies]
-
a spy camera/plane [=a camera/plane used for spying]
2
:
someone who secretly watches the movement or actions of other people
-
My coworker is a spy for the boss.
-
the neighborhood spy
2
spy
/ˈspaɪ/
verb
spies;
spied;
spying
2
spy
/ˈspaɪ/
verb
spies;
spied;
spying
Britannica Dictionary definition of SPY
1
[no object]
:
to try secretly to get information about a country, organization, etc.
:
to act as a spy
— often + on
-
They were accused of spying for a foreign government.
-
They were accused of spying on a rival company.
2
[+ object]
:
to see or notice (someone or something)
-
She spied [=caught sight of] a friend in the crowd.
spy on
[phrasal verb]
spy on (someone or something)
:
to watch (someone) secretly
—
see also 2spy 1 (above)
-
He spies on his neighbors.
-
Have you been spying on me?
spy out
[phrasal verb]
1
spy (something) out
or
spy out (something)
:
to notice, find, or learn about (something) by looking often in a secret way
-
They were trying to spy out the enemy's position.
2
spy out the land
chiefly British
:
to find or get more information about a situation secretly and before making a decision
