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spy
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
spy
I.noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a spy plane
▪ An unmanned US spy plane had been shot down.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
foreign
▪ News from foreign courts, spies, envoys, merchants and other clerks.
soviet
▪ They thought he was a Soviet spy.
■ NOUN
chief
▪ As spy chief, Mr Montesinos visited Guzman at the naval base on several occasions to question him.
▪ Yeltsin picked Yevgeny Primakov, a spy chief, for foreign minister.
network
▪ And who could be sure that such secrets could be kept from the spy network still strong in every dormitory and classroom?
plane
▪ At one point U.S. military and intelligence services had 17 spy planes over Escobar's home city of Medellin.
▪ The main culprit is the Pioneer, a smaller, less advanced spy plane that the Hunter was supposed to replace.
▪ So did our successful interception of your spy plane.
▪ They were here to defend the heavens against high-altitude spy planes.
▪ It is a little more complicated to copy a spy plane, but George Bush has a similar problem right now.
▪ I heard over the voice of america that they released Powers the U2 spy plane fellow.
▪ These bats are like miniature spy planes, bristling with sophisticated instrumentation.
▪ But everyone gave the spy plane, nicknamed the Dragon Drone, high marks for simplicity and usefulness.
ring
▪ Secret files reveal an Oxford spy ring.
▪ It suggests there was an Oxford spy ring in the 1930s which passed secrets to the Soviet Union.
satellite
▪ During the Kosovo conflict, the thick cloud meant that some unmanned aerial vehicles took more useful pictures than spy satellites.
▪ These spy satellites were to be in place within a few years to monitor all Soviet military activities.
▪ It is generally believed that the earliest Soviet military use of photographic imaging spy satellites was in 1962.
story
▪ Tolstoy, Hemingway and Hardy, thrillers and spy stories, historical novels, light romances.
▪ There must be a spy story in here somewhere.
▪ She had been reduced to using ploys straight out of spy stories.
▪ It was very small, and in the best spy stories wouldn't have been noticed.
thriller
▪ We had been involved in an historical adventure as gripping as any detective tale or spy thriller.
▪ By his bed was the same spy thriller, still open at the page where he had left it.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
nest of spies/thieves/intrigue etc
▪ Neville Chamberlain wrote that the Cabinet was a nest of intrigue, which was, considering everything, an understatement.
▪ Perhaps we're in the middle of a nest of spies whom Meredith-Lee was about to unmask.
suspected burglar/terrorist/spy etc
▪ He was attacked in Sandbach after confronting a suspected burglar.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ an enemy spy
▪ He had been accused of spying and held without trial for ten years.
▪ He was suspected of having been a spy during the war.
▪ The 11 men had allegedly been involved in spying.
▪ The job of the secret police was to hunt down spies and traitors.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ A spy pays for himself twice, because there's always the reward when we turn him in.
▪ A sort of known and often welcome spy.
▪ In any case, I don't think I'd make a very good spy.
II.verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
on
▪ Lili sensed that she was being spied on, but she didn't care.
▪ He spied on Agnes, he hated to admit it.
▪ It was my favorite wedding ever, although I think the wedding I spied on went well, too.
out
▪ She would spy out the lie of the land and write to him.
▪ She enticed into her house the party Odysseus dispatched to spy out the land, and there she changed them into swine.
▪ Certainly he would have gone down there alone to spy out the land and check on his property.
▪ Rex spied out Sam Maggott hollering at all and sundry and making good use of his over-sized red gingham handkerchief.
▪ He also spied out the Tomorrowman's barman.
▪ Well, he kept taking a few sips and peeping around the door to spy out the whereabouts of the principal.
▪ I just wish they spied out something more entertaining than water and doctors.
■ NOUN
land
▪ Certainly he would have gone down there alone to spy out the land and check on his property.
▪ She enticed into her house the party Odysseus dispatched to spy out the land, and there she changed them into swine.
■ VERB
accuse
▪ They are being held hostage with three other peacekeeping officials after being accused of spying for the Phnom Penh Government.
▪ He is accused of spying for more than 15 years in exchange for $ 1.4 million in cash and diamonds.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ A former US diplomat has confessed to spying.
▪ For years the satellite spied on secret weapon bases.
▪ I spied him standing on the other side of the room.
▪ Philby had been spying for the Russians for several years.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ Boxing: Jacobs spies the ladder.
▪ He said Hanssen had begun spying in 1979 and stopped voluntarily in 1981.
▪ Lili sensed that she was being spied on, but she didn't care.
▪ Pope has insisted he was not spying and the materials he purchased were not secret.
▪ There was no way I was going across to follow Ewen Mackay to spy on his activities at the house.
▪ Wilkinson spied a conspiracy to resist all the evidence that this chemical was dangerous.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Spy

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.

Spy

Spy \Spy\, v. i. To search narrowly; to scrutinize.

It is my nature's plague To spy into abuses.
--Shak.

Spy

Spy \Spy\, n.; pl. Spies (sp[imac]z). [See Spy, v., and cf. Espy, n.]

  1. One who keeps a constant watch of the conduct of others. ``These wretched spies of wit.''
    --Dryden.

  2. (Mil.) A person sent secretly into an enemy's camp, territory, or fortifications, to inspect his works, ascertain his strength, movements, or designs, and to communicate such intelligence to the proper officer.

    Spy money, money paid to a spy; the reward for private or secret intelligence regarding the enemy.

    Spy Wednesday (Eccl.), the Wednesday immediately preceding the festival of Easter; -- so called in allusion to the betrayal of Christ by Judas Iscariot.

    Syn: See Emissary, and Scout.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
spy

mid-13c., "to watch stealthily," from Old French espiier "observe, watch closely, spy on, find out," probably from Frankish *spehon or some other Germanic source, from Proto-Germanic *spehon- (cognates: Old High German *spehon "to look out for, scout, spy," German spähen "to spy," Middle Dutch spien), the Germanic survivals of the productive PIE root *spek- "to look, observe" (see scope (n.1)). Old English had spyrian "make a track, go, pursue; ask about, investigate," also a noun spyrigend "investigator, inquirer." Italian spiare, Spanish espiar also are Germanic loan-words. Meaning "to catch sight of" is from c.1300. Children's game I spy so called by 1946.

spy

mid-13c., "one who spies on another," from Old French espie "spy, look-out, scout" (Modern French épie), probably from a Germanic source related to spy (v.).

Wiktionary
spy

n. A person who secretly watches and examines the actions of other individuals or organizations and gathers information on them (usually to gain an advantage). vb. 1 (context intransitive English) To act as a spy. 2 (context transitive English) To spot; to catch sight of. 3 (context intransitive English) To search narrowly; to scrutinize. 4 (context transitive English) To explore; to view; inspect and examine secretly, as a country.

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]

Wikipedia
Spy (magazine)

Spy was a satirical monthly magazine that ran from 1986 to 1998. The magazine was based in New York City.

Spy (disambiguation)

A spy is a person engaged in espionage, obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential.

Spy or The Spy may also refer to:

Spy (band)

Spy are a rock band that hail from Atlanta, Georgia. They released their debut album in 2005, which was produced by Steve Albini. The album was a vinyl only release, but is also available in its entirety for free on their website. 1

Spy (Spy album)

Spy is the debut album by American indie rock group Spy. Recorded by Steve Albini, the album is a vinyl-only release, though it is available free on the band's website. 1

Spy (2011 TV series)

Spy is a British situation comedy created and written by Simeon Goulden. The first series aired on 14 October 2011 on Sky1 in the UK, as well as on the online video service Hulu in the United States. A second series began airing on 19 October 2012, ending with a Christmas Special on 26 December 2012. On 1 March 2013, Darren Boyd announced that the show would not be returning for a third series.

Spy (Super Junior song)

"Spy" is a digital single by South Korean boy band Super Junior. It is the second promotional single for the group's sixth studio album Sexy, Free & Single and title track of the repackaged edition, titled Spy. It was digitally released on August 5, 2012, along with three other new tracks in the repackaged album, which was released offline on August 6.

Spy (2012 Russian film)

Spy is a 2012 Russian spy film, an adaptation of Boris Akunin's novel The Spy Novel . It was directed by Alexey Andrianov, and starred Danila Kozlovsky and Fyodor Bondarchuk. Akunin adapted his own novel. It had one of the largest film budgets in Russian history.

Spy (2004 TV series)

Spy is a British television programme originally made by Wall to Wall for BBC Three in 2004. It has been one of the most-exported United Kingdom television shows; according to the Producers' Alliance for Cinema and Television (PACT), it had been sold to 129 countries by April 2005.

The series follows a group of real-life volunteers as they are trained by former spies in espionage techniques, including maintaining a false identity, surveillance, persuasion and recruitment. The programme's psychological challenges, dramatic tension, high production values, and personable cast led to its being called 'the most addictive thing on TV at the moment' by The Daily Telegraph.

The series further develops a format that first appeared in the Wall to Wall television productions Spymaster (2002; UK) and Spymaster USA (2003; USA).

SPY: A Handbook, a companion book written by Harry Ferguson, a trainer featured on the show, was published in 2004 by Bloomsbury in the UK (ISBN 0-7475-7523-1).

Spy (Carly Simon album)

Spy is singer-songwriter Carly Simon's ninth album, and eighth studio album, released in 1979. It is also her last album for Elektra Records. The title of the album is a tribute to Anaïs Nin, whose quote “I am an international spy in the house of love”, is written across the top on the inside jacket. Simon dedicated the album to producer Arif Mardin, in which she wrote in the liner notes, "Dedicated to Arif who is himself fantastic."

Although Spy did not yield any major hit singles, " Vengeance" earned Simon a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female in early 1980, the first year to feature this new category. It peaked at #48 on the Billboard Pop singles chart. Simon made a music video for the song, and MTV later used a clip from it in a commercial that tried to entice viewers to get stereo sound on their TV sets. The promotional clip was also chosen by Pioneer Electronics to be part of their first demo disc for its then-new Laserdisc player.

The album also features a track entitled "Never Been Gone", which has gone on to become a fan favorite, as well as one of Simon's personal favorites. In 2009, she would release an album entitled after the track.

SPY

SPY is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:

  • SPDR S&P 500 (spiders), formerly called Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipts
  • SPY (magazine), a satirical monthly, trademarked all-caps
  • SPY (Ivory Coast), airport code for San Pédro, Côte d'Ivoire
  • SPY, short for MOWAG SPY, a military vehicle
  • SPY ACT (Securely Protect Yourself Against Cyber Trespass), a 2005 cyber-security regulation proposal
  • SPY (musical artist), is the moniker used by J. Ralph
  • SPY (2015 TV series), South Korean television series
Spy (2015 film)

Spy is a 2015 American spy comedy film written and directed by Paul Feig. Starring Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham, Rose Byrne, Miranda Hart, Bobby Cannavale, Allison Janney, and Jude Law, the film follows the transformation of desk-bound CIA analyst Susan Cooper (McCarthy) into a field agent who attempts to foil the black market sale of a suitcase nuke.

Produced by Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, Feig and Jessie Henderson, the film was theatrically released on June 5, 2015. It received praise from critics and was a box office success. It was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards: Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for McCarthy.

Spy (2015 TV series)

Spy (, stylized as SPY) is a 2015 South Korean television series based on the Israeli drama The Gordin Cell but modified to depict North/South Korean relations. A family drama with spy thriller elements, it starred Kim Jae-joong as a genius analyst working for the National Intelligence Service (NIS), while Bae Jong-ok played his mother, an ex-spy from North Korea.

SPY aired two episodes a week back to back on Fridays on KBS2 from January 9 to March 6, 2015 for a total of 16 episodes.

Usage examples of "spy".

Everett were just stepping out of the stables when they spied Abigail and Moira strolling toward them, talking and laughing.

The abomination could only be a Cishaurim spy, ergo Achamian is connected to the Cishaurim.

But thus far there had been no other craft sighted on the waters, although smokes were visible from the many Aliansa village sites and a small group of aborigines was spied netting fish in the shallows.

Captain Michales had sent All Aga there to spy, to eavesdrop on the servants and find out if Nuri really was seriously wounded.

I ran, carrying the cat litter box like a pizza tray, disrupting the class, causing Winnie to become highly agitato, unable to explain because I had a cigar in my mouth and was carrying a pizza tray and running for my life from men who were carrying wildly beeping receivers which made them Israeli spies and men who were wildly firing weapons which made them Arab terrorists and the whole macho parade failing to arouse or interest the girls in the slightest, which, of course, made them lesbians.

Passed herselfoffas an agoraphobic and joined the group in order to spy and collect dirt.

At the same time I sent to Schill a clever spy, who gave him a most alarming account of the means of defence which Hamburg possessed.

Spies had been circulated about Alb to spread the rumor that Penvey was to be attacked.

When the spy master sprinkled alegar over an egg and held it in the light of a particular lamp, the powder rose like mist.

When she added of yellow gossypol to the alegar, the mist became a face and the egg became a short-lived conduit between the spy master and her spy.

We did catch that ion trail last week, and it could very well be Amalgamated spies, just checking up on us.

They were employed by his agency, but he frequently sent them off on detached duty all over the country, to raid or spy in every known political or ameliorative gathering.

For Amit, the greatest tools of spy craft are imagination and creativity, and both marked his tenure.

Here, too, more spies met us, who said that the great army of Atene was posted guarding the city bridges, and that to attack it with our little force would mean destruction.

DonaJuanita de Elia is not a spy, ather, for I know she is and you know the selfsame thing.