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spied
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Spied

Spied \Spied\, imp. & p. p. of Spy.

Spied

Spy \Spy\ (sp[imac]), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Spied (sp[imac]d); p. pr. & vb. n. Spying.] [OE. spien, espien, OF. espier, F. ['e]pier, OHG. speh[=o]n, G. sp["a]hen; akin to L. specere to see, Skr. spa[,c]. [root] 169. Cf. Espy, v. t., Aspect, Auspice, Circumspect, Conspicuous, Despise, Frontispiece, Inspect, Prospect, Respite, Scope, Specimen, Spectacle, Specter, Speculate, Spice, Spite, Suspicion.]

  1. To gain sight of; to discover at a distance, or in a state of concealment; to espy; to see.

    One, in reading, skipped over all sentences where he spied a note of admiration.
    --Swift.

  2. To discover by close search or examination.

    Look about with your eyes; spy what things are to be reformed in the church of England.
    --Latimer.

  3. To explore; to view, inspect, and examine secretly, as a country; -- usually with out.

    Moses sent to spy out Jaazer, and they took the villages thereof.
    --Num. xxi. 32.

Wiktionary
spied

vb. (en-pastspy)

WordNet
spy
  1. n. (military) a secret agent hired by a state to obtain information about its enemies or by a business to obtain industrial secrets from competitors [syn: undercover agent]

  2. a secret watcher; someone who secretly watches other people; "my spies tell me that you had a good time last night"

  3. [also: spied]

spy
  1. v. catch sight of [syn: descry, spot, espy]

  2. watch, observe, or inquire secretly [syn: stag, snoop, sleuth]

  3. secretly collect sensitive or classified information; engage in espionage; "spy for the Russians"

  4. [also: spied]

spied

See spy

Usage examples of "spied".

In soaking her handkerchiefs, she had spied a bench placed just by the water, one that gleamed with magical discouragements to insects and snakes.

Harry Vincent spied an open passage between two buildings near where the other cab had stopped.

The Shadow stooped to get a higher angle of view, he spied the tiny cubicle atop the massive structure.

As the truck swung the corner, Vic Marquette spied the vehicle that The Shadow had seen earlier.

A tong assassin broke free of the fray, spied Mara, and snapped a hand to his belt sash.

On the point of entering, they spied the cloaked enchantress, bobbed a hasty obeisance, and backed out into the street in silence.

Tavern, but he had already spied me and came after me, brandishing his pistol.

Odds were the man belonged to the Scarlet Spires, which would be interested in him for the obvious reasons, or perhaps even the Emperor, who spied on everyone for the sake of spying on everyone.

If I spied on an innocent man, if I brought back an escaped slave, I was merely an extension of the hand of Kyros.

It was late that night when the Nihilists left the airship, first having made a careful inspection to see that they were not spied upon.

When he spied it, drawn up before a cottage on the edge of the wood, he saw that he was too early after all, as the horses were all in their feed-bags.

But in a few moments he spied a burly fellow plodding away, holding a pole in each hand, followed closely by a black sedan chair, and then a second pole-holding bloke.

When I stepped out of my coach in the carriageway of this estate, I was spied by a dwarf, who saw me thanking God for my safe arrival, and beseeching Him for an expeditious departure, in the Lutheran manner.

This view, every time he spied it, made Daniel feel as if he had, by some error in navigation, been taken to some city as strange as Manila or Isfahan.

Daniel spied a crate, not far below the rafters, with its lid slightly askew.