as in operative
a person who tries secretly to obtain information for one country in the territory of another usually unfriendly country
the government spy risked his life every day in the fight against global terrorism
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in to spot
to make note of (something) through the use of one's eyes
I spy a motel off in the distance, so let's spend the night there
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of spy
Andreas Kluth, Mercury News, 14 Jan. 2026
Rather than send the grieving widows back to the States, the head honchos decide to turn them into spies.
—David Faris, TheWeek, 13 Jan. 2026
Zoe Baillargeon, Travel + Leisure, 20 Dec. 2025
And don’t forget spying whale spouts from the coastal cliffs, sans guardrails!
—Crai S Bower, Outside, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spy
Noun
Her spy colleague John Ratcliffe, director of the CIA, seems happy just to be in the room when things happen.
—Verb
The soaring golden orbs may have fooled my eager spying eyes a few times.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for spy
Noun
-
Cuban operatives played a central role in shaping how the regime monitored dissent and protected senior leadership, embedding themselves inside Venezuela’s intelligence services.—
-
Alexis Rodríguez Cabello A Venezuelan politician and longtime Chavista operative best known for his family and political ties to Diosdado Cabello, Alexis Rodríguez Cabello is currently head of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service.—
Verb
-
The $10 billion space telescope has also been spotting extremely bright, ultra-compact and incredibly dense galaxies that lack an abundance of dust.—
-
Federal agents have been spotted all across Minnesota, giving the ones who resided here first an on-edge feeling.—
Noun
-
The tactics of federal immigration agents have come under intense scrutiny after the shooting of Good and growing skirmishes between federal officers and protesters.—
-
He was removed by federal agents, who made entry into the residence and took the person to an ambulance.—
Verb
-
That’s important following the news that Argentina reportedly is eying Kansas City for its base camp.—
-
But this session will be Polis’ last, and union groups — who have shelved plans to launch a pro-worker ballot campaign — are now starting to eye the governor’s would-be replacements.—
Noun
-
Le, who was working undercover, was shot while inside his vehicle after responding to one of multiple burglaries at a cannabis business on Embarcadero near Fifth Ave.—
-
Four other agents accompanied me, all also operating undercover.—
Verb
-
The theft wasn't noticed until a store employee saw that the entire caviar section was empty, which led management to check their security cameras.—
-
One game, Jordan Ross, his roommate, noticed that Jake was too late to rotate over on a double-team from the baseline side on a drive.—
Noun
-
Yet every Sunday feels like a race to the keyboard or microphone to criticize the mole on Cindy Crawford's face (guilty as charged).—
-
Additionally, the menu includes chicken chipotle, chicken mole, pork green chile, pork red chile, and Tex-Mex (made with ground beef and cheese) tamales.—
Verb
-
But, the aide said, the President would see me first.—
-
In live video, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov can be seen in their suits woring on tasks, but not yet in their seats.—
Cite this Entry
“Spy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spy. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
