spy
spy
Pronunciation
spy /spaɪ/
Syllable 1: /spaɪ/ (sp-eye)
Word Form Variations
Singular Noun: spy
Plural Noun: spies
Verb (base form): spy
Verb (third-person singular present): spies
Verb (present participle): spying
Verb (past tense/past participle): spied
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
Definition 1: A person, often secretly employed by a government or organization, who gathers confidential information, especially about an enemy or competitor.
Synonyms: agent, operative, secret agent, scout, mole
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms; concepts like "civilian" or "open observer" might be considered distant conceptual opposites depending on context)
Verb
Definition 1: To observe someone or something furtively, especially to discover information about them.
Synonyms: watch, observe, peek, peer, snoop, scout, reconnoiter
Antonyms: ignore, overlook, disregard
Definition 2: To suddenly notice or discern something, often unexpectedly.
Synonyms: spot, see, detect, notice, discern, discover
Antonyms: miss, fail to see, overlook
Examples of Use
Books: "The character of George Smiley, a master spy working for the British Secret Intelligence Service, is central to many of John le Carré's novels."
Newspapers: "Sources indicate that foreign spies may have attempted to infiltrate the nation's critical infrastructure networks during the recent cyberattack."
Online Publications: "A recent article on Wired discussed the increasing sophistication of digital tools used by governments to spy on their citizens' online activities."
Entertainment Mediums (Film): "The Mission: Impossible film series consistently features protagonist Ethan Hunt as a highly skilled spy undertaking perilous missions to save the world."
Entertainment Mediums (Television): "The critically acclaimed show The Americans depicted two deep-cover Soviet KGB spies posing as an American married couple during the Cold War."
Entertainment Platforms (Video Games): "In the popular stealth game Metal Gear Solid, players often take on the role of a special operations agent tasked with spying on enemy installations and gathering intelligence."
General Public Discourse: "My neighbor keeps trying to spy on what I'm doing in my garden, which is a bit unnerving."
10 Quotes Using Spy
"When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions." (William Shakespeare)
"The great advantage of being a writer is that you can spy on people." (Graham Greene)
"It is only the enlightened ruler and the wise general who will use the highest intelligence of the army for the purposes of spying, and thereby they achieve great results." (Sun Tzu)
"Every man is surrounded by a neighborhood of voluntary spies." (Jane Austen)
"A spy is a person who gets the secrets we didn't even know we had." (David Lloyd George)
"Our mobile phones have become the greatest spy on the planet." (John McAfee)
"Ask yourself: if I were a Chinese spy, why wouldn't I have flown directly into Beijing? I could be living in a palace petting a phoenix by now." (Edward Snowden)
"Life is a struggle and a good spy goes in there and fights." (Louise Fitzhugh, Harriet the Spy)
"What do you think spies are: priests, saints and martyrs? They're a squalid procession of vain fools, traitors too, yes; pansies, sadists and drunkards, people who play cowboys and Indians to brighten their rotten lives." (John le Carré)
"The spy, well used to his business, did not change his unconscious attitude, but drained his little glass of cognac, took a sip of fresh water, and asked for another glass of cognac." (Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities)
Etymology
The word "spy" has a fascinating journey through different languages!
It comes to us from an Old French word, "espiier," which meant "to observe" or "to watch." This Old French word, in turn, likely came from a Germanic root, possibly from a word like "spehōn" (in Old High German) or "spion" (in Frankish), both of which also meant "to look" or "to observe secretly."
The very first known use of "spy" in English, with a meaning similar to what we understand today – someone who secretly observes others, especially to gather information – appeared in the late 13th century. At that time, it was used both as a noun (referring to the person) and as a verb (referring to the act of secret observation). So, right from its arrival in English, it carried the core idea of clandestine watching and information gathering.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Spy
Here's a list of phrases and idioms using "spy," along with some related expressions:
Spy on (someone/something): To secretly observe someone or something.
Spy out the land: To gather information about a situation or place before taking action.
A spy in the camp: A person who secretly provides information to an opposing group.
Spy game: Referring to the world of espionage and secret agents.
To spy with my little eye: A common phrase used in a children's guessing game.
Industrial spy: Someone who steals trade secrets from a competing company.
Cyber spy: An individual or group that uses digital means to conduct espionage.
To go deep undercover as a spy: To fully immerse oneself in an assumed identity for espionage.
A look that could spy out secrets: A gaze that seems to penetrate and uncover hidden information.
Playing the spy: Engaging in secretive observation or information gathering, often in a playful or informal sense.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of spy from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
