• IPA: /spaɪ/

spy (plural spies)

1. A person who secretly watches and examines the actions of other individuals or organizations and gathers information on them (usually to gain an advantage).

• intelligencer
• Thesaurus:spy

• French: espion, espionne
• German: Spion, Spionin
• Italian: spia
• Portuguese: espião
• Russian: шпио́н
• Spanish: espía, chivato

spy (spies, present participle spying; past and past participle spied)

1. (intransitive) To act as a spy#Noun|spy.

   During the Cold War, Russia and America would each spy on each other for recon.

2. (transitive) To spot; to catch sight of.

   I think I can spy that hot guy coming over here.

   • RQ

     One in reading, skipped over all sentences where he spied a note of admiration.

   • Look about with your eyes; spy what things are to be reformed in the church of England.

3. (intransitive) To search narrowly; to scrutinize.
   • c. 1603–1604, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358 ↗, [Act III, scene iii]:

     It is my nature's plague / To spy into abuses.

4. (transitive) To explore; to see; to view; inspect and examine secretly, as a country.

• French: espionner
• German: ausspionieren
• Italian: spiare
• Portuguese: espiar, espionar
• Russian: шпио́нить
• Spanish: espiar

• German: erspähen
• Italian: spiare

• spyglass
• spyware