spy

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spy

(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.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

spy

(spaɪ)

n, pl spies

1. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) a person employed by a state or institution to obtain secret information from rival countries, organizations, companies, etc

2. a person who keeps secret watch on others

3. obsolete a close view

vb, spies, spying or spied

4. (usually foll by: on) to keep a secret or furtive watch (on)

5. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) (intr) to engage in espionage

6. (tr) to catch sight of; descry

[C13 spien, from Old French espier, of Germanic origin; related to Old High German spehōn, Middle Dutch spien]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

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

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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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 competitors undercover agent armed 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 espionage double agent - a spy who works for two mutually antagonistic countries espionage agent - someone employed to spy on another country or business competitor foreign agent - a spy for a foreign country infiltrator - someone who takes up a position surreptitiously for the purpose of espionage intelligence agent, intelligence officer, operative, secret agent - a person secretly employed in espionage for a government sleeper - 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 others looker, 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 of descry, espy, spot sight, 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 secretly sleuth, snoop, stag monitor, 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" sight perceive, comprehend - to become aware of through the senses; "I could perceive the ship coming over the horizon" descry, espy, spot, spy - catch sight of detect, 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

noun

1. 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.

verb

1. 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.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

spy

noun

A person who secretly observes others to obtain information:

agent, operative.

Informal: spook.

Idiom: secret agent.

verb

1. 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

جاسوسجَاسُوس يَتَجَسَّسُيَتَجَسَّسيُلاحِظ

špiónvyzvědač-kaprovádět špionážspatřit

spionspionerefå øje på

Spion spionieren Spionin erspähen

κατάσκοπος κατασκοπεύω

espía espiar

vakoillavakoojavakoilija

espionner espion apercevoirespincherespionne

uhoditišpijunšpijuniratišpijunkauhoda

kémkedikspionkém

koma auga ánjósnanjósnari

spia spiare scorgere

スパイ見張る

몰래 감시하다스파이

šnipasšnipinėti

ievērotsaskatītspiegotspiegs

spion spioneren

spion spionere

szpieg szpiegować

espião espiar espionar

шпион шпионить шпионка агент

robiť špionáž

vohunvohunitivohunski

spionspionera

นักสืบสืบ

casus casusluk etmekcasusluk yapmakfarketmekgözüne ilişmek

gián điệptheo dõi

间谍作间谍发现密探

spy

[spaɪ]

A. N → espía mf

B. VT (= catch sight of) → divisar
finally I spied him coming → por fin pude verlo viniendo
to play I spy → jugar al veo-veo
I spy, with my little eye, something beginning with A → veo, veo una cosa que empieza con A

C. VI → espiar, ser espía
to spy on sb → espiar a algn, observar a algn clandestinamente
he spied for the USA → fue espía al servicio de los EE.UU.

D. CPD spy plane N → avión m espía
spy ring N → red f de espionaje
spy satellite N → satélite m espía
spy ship N → buque m espía
spy story N → novela f de espionaje

spy out VT + ADV → hacer un reconocimiento de
to spy out the land → reconocer el terreno

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

spy

[ˈspaɪ]

n → espion(ne) m/f

modif [film, movie, story, novel, drama] → d'espionnage; [camera] → d'espionnage, d'espion; [network] → d'espions

vi → faire de l'espionnage

vt (= see) → apercevoir

spy on

vt fus → espionner

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

spy

n → Spion(in) m(f); (= police spy) → Spitzel m; spy in the cab (inf: = tachograph) → Fahrtenschreiber m

vt → sehen, erspähen (geh); finally I spied him coming → endlich sah ich ihn kommen; I spy with my little eye something … → ˜ ich sehe was, was du nicht siehst, und …

vi → spionieren, Spionage treiben; to spy into something → in etw (dat) → herumspionieren; to spy on somebody → jdn bespitzeln; on neighbours → jdm nachspionieren; I Spy (= game) → ˜ ich sehe was, was du nicht siehst

spy

spy case

n → Spionagefall m

spycatcher

n (inf) → Geheimdienstler(in) m(f) (inf)

spy film

n → Agentenfilm m

spy glass

n → Fernglas nt

spy hole

n → Guckloch nt, → Spion m

spy master

n → Chefagent m, → Agentenführer m

spy movie

n (esp US) → Agentenfilm m

spy plane

n → Spionageflugzeug nt

spy ring

n → Spionagering m, → Agentenring m

spy satellite

n → Spionagesatellit m

spy story

n → Spionagegeschichte f

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

spy

[spaɪ]

1. n → spia
police spy → informatore/trice (della polizia)

2. vt (catch sight of) → scorgere

3. vi → spiare
to spy on sb → spiare qn

4. adj (film, story) → di spionaggio

spy out vt + adv to spy out the land (fig) → tastare il terreno

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.

verb

1. to be a spy. He had been spying for the Russians for many years.

2. to see or notice. She spied a human figure on the mountainside.

ˈspyhole noun

a peep-hole.

spy on

to watch (a person etc) secretly. The police had been spying on the gang for several months.

spy

→ جَاسُوس, يَتَجَسَّسُ špehovat, špion spion, spionere Spion, spionieren κατασκοπεύω, κατάσκοπος espía, espiar vakoilla, vakooja espion, espionner špijun, uhoditi spia, spiare スパイ, 見張る 몰래 감시하다, 스파이 spion, spioneren spion, spionere szpieg, szpiegować espião, espiar, espionar шпион, шпионить spion, spionera นักสืบ, สืบ casus, casusluk etmek gián điệp, theo dõi 密探, 间谍

References in classic literature ?

When these five kinds of spy are all at work, none can discover the secret system.

If a secret piece of news is divulged by a spy before the time is ripe, he must be put to death together with the man to whom the secret was told.

View in context

On November 1 Kutuzov had received, through a spy, news that the army he commanded was in an almost hopeless position.

The French, the spy reported, having crossed the Vienna bridge, were advancing by forced marches toward Znaim, which lay sixty-six miles off on the line of Kutuzov's retreat.

View in context

That night, and the next, and the next again, the spy sat booted and equipped in his carter's dress: ready to turn out at a word from Fagin.

The spy preserved the same relative distance between them, and followed: with his eye upon her.

View in context

"You are a spy and spies must die if they are caught."

"What makes you think I am a spy?" she asked after a long silence.

View in context

"I think he is either a dull provincial person or a spy in search of information."

View in context

'It is neither generous, nor honourable, nor the act of a true man to play the spy,' said Edward.

View in context

There was the organization of the mouth-to-mouth propaganda; the organization, with all its ramifications, of our spy system; the establishment of our secret printing-presses; and the establishment of our underground railways, which meant the knitting together of all our myriads of places of refuge, and the formation of new refuges where links were missing in the chains we ran over all the land.

View in context

I greatly fear that no one will do you this service, and spy upon the enemy alone in the dead of night.