Spying - Definitions from Dictionary.com

3 results for: Spying

spy

Audio Help [spahy] Pronunciation Key, noun, plural spies, verb, spied, spy·ing.

–noun

1.	a person employed by a government to obtain secret information or intelligence about another, usually hostile, country, esp. with reference to military or naval affairs.

2.	a person who keeps close and secret watch on the actions and words of another or others.

3.	a person who seeks to obtain confidential information about the activities, plans, methods, etc., of an organization or person, esp. one who is employed for this purpose by a competitor: an industrial spy.

4.	the act of spying.

–verb (used without object)

5.	to observe secretively or furtively with hostile intent (often fol. by on or upon).

6.	to act as a spy; engage in espionage.

7.	to be on the lookout; keep watch.

8.	to search for or examine something closely or carefully.

–verb (used with object)

9.	to catch sight of suddenly; espy; descry: to spy a rare bird overhead.

10.	to discover or find out by observation or scrutiny (often fol. by out).

11.	to observe (a person, place, enemy, etc.) secretively or furtively with hostile intent.

12.	to inspect or examine or to search or look for closely or carefully.

[Origin: 1200–50; (v.) ME spien, aph. var. of espien to espy; (n.) ME, aph. var. of espy a spy < OF espie

]

—Related forms

spyship, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Spying

To learn more about Spying visit Britannica.com

spy Audio Help (spī) Pronunciation Key
n. pl. spies (spīz)

An agent employed by a state to obtain secret information, especially of a military nature, concerning its potential or actual enemies.
One employed by a company to obtain confidential information about its competitors.
One who secretly keeps watch on another or others.
An act of spying.

v. spied (spīd), spy·ing, spies (spīz)

v. tr.

v. intr.

[Middle English spie, from Old French espie, from espier, to watch, of Germanic origin; see spek- in Indo-European roots.]

spying
noun
1.	keeping a secret or furtive watch
2.	the act of keeping a secret watch for intelligence purposes
3.	the act of detecting something; catching sight of something [syn: detection]

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