Spy definition
Was sent to spy out the enemy camp.
An example of to spy is hiding behind a bush and watching someone through their window.
Spy plane, spy satellite.
An example of spy is Mata Hari who was employed by Germany during the first world war.
During the Cold War, Russia and America would each spy on each other for recon.
I think I can spy that hot guy coming over here.
Spied the ship on the horizon.
Spying into the neighbor's activities.
- to discover or seek to discover by close observation, inspection, etc.
Idioms and Phrasal Verbs
Origin of spy
- Middle English spie from Old French espie from espier to watch of Germanic origin spek- in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
- Middle English spien, aphetic variant of earlier espien "to espy", from Old French espier (“to spy") (espie "a spy"), from Frankish *spehōn (“to spy"), from Proto-Germanic *spehōnÄ… (“to see, look"), from Proto-Indo-European *spek- (“to look"). Akin to Old High German spehōn, spehhōn "to scout, look out for, spy" (German spähen "to spy"), Middle Dutch spien "to spy", Dutch bespieden "to spy on".
From Wiktionary