to spy

Examples

• All

• Still, she remembered the tingle of recognition when she had spied him at the Corwell festival.

  Fiction book (1992)

• Did you spy the old air-raid sirens atop the tower?

  The Gorge (2025)

• At first it was cute to see them spy on Bob and try to see it fly each night.

• Did anyone go out and spy out the lie of the land?

  Blood Freak (1972)

• And I spy James with the basket just in time.

• Hurrying back to the car, she thought she spied someone near the fence.

  Academic text (2007)

• Through the opening of the cave, he spies a woman's form, lying face down.

  Fiction book (1991)

• Kiva looks around the room and spies the TV in the hallway.

  Fiction book (1995)

• One evening before the war, my Tante spied on her sister Edzia as she prepared for a date.

  Fiction book (1992)

• Thisbe arrives first but spies a lioness with a mouth bloody from a recent hunt.

  Academic text (2012)

Synonyms

F

to find

vsto spy

∞ 1.0

To discover something while looking or by accident

refers more to seeing or noticing rather than full discovery

C

to catch

vsto spy

602 2.1

To notice something quickly with the senses or mind

can also occur after searching rather than only as a sudden perception

S

to spot

vsto spy

585 2.1

To notice someone or something, especially when it is hard

is used more generally for sudden or searched noticing rather than only hard cases

D

to detect

vsto spy

563 3.2

Find something that is hard to notice

is a more general act of seeing rather than technical discovery

P

to peek

vsto spy

132 1.1

To look quickly and secretly at something

is about noticing or seeing, not just briefly looking in secret

S

to snoop

vsto spy

106 5.7

To secretly look for someone's private information or watch them

is a single act of noticing rather than ongoing secret investigation

S

to sniff out

vsto spy

• Informal

35 4.0

Find something by searching, often by smell

is usually a visual or general noticing rather than relying on scent

S

to sight

vsto spy

34 2.8

To suddenly see something for a short time

can also happen after searching rather than only as a quick notice

S

to surveil

vsto spy

25 8.4

To watch people or places closely to get information and stop crime

is a brief act of seeing or noticing, not sustained monitoring

F

to ferret out

vsto spy

• Informal

14 6.7

To search carefully to find hidden facts or documents

can be sudden or after searching rather than requiring long persistence

S

to smell out

vsto spy

3 5.1

Find something hidden by noticing small signs

relies more on seeing or direct noticing rather than intuition

E

to espy

vsto spy

• Archaic

2 9.9

To see something partly or far away

often applies to sudden or searched noticing rather than distant glimpses

N

to nose out

vsto spy

• Informal

1 6.9

Find something after careful searching

also covers sudden noticing, not only careful investigative discovery

D

to descry

vsto spy

• Archaic

1 9.9

To see a person or thing that is hard to notice

is used more broadly for sudden or searched noticing rather than rare distant views

Antonyms

O

to overlook

205 2.9

To not notice someone or something you should see

D

to disregard

106 3.9

Ignore something or someone on purpose

Compounds

S

spy satellite

• Specialized

11 4.4

A satellite that watches Earth to gather information for military or government use

N

Northern Spy

1 6.5

A large apple that ripens late with crisp flesh and a tart taste

How Clear

to detect

563 3.2

to see

∞ 1.0

to spot

585 2.1

to spy

36 3.1

to glimpse

39 3.2

Surface Forms

Etymology