spy
spy — noun
1. a person whose job is to secretly obtain information about a foreign government,
a person whose job is to secretly obtain information about a foreign government, company, or group, often for political or military purposes
A suspected spy was watching the naval base from a nearby apartment.
collocation: suspected spy
Anong worked as a spy for ten years before retiring to a quiet village.
Paloma discovered that her new colleague was a spy for a rival company.
A spy must leave the country quickly when her cover is blown.
Military spies often use coded messages to report troop movements to their handlers.
- agent
broader term; can refer to any person working for an intelligence service, not necessarily in secret
- double agent
a spy who works for two opposing sides at the same time
- mole
a spy who works inside an organization for years, often trusted by their targets
- informant
someone who gives information to authorities, usually not employed as a professional spy
用法筆記
Frequently appears in compound nouns such as spy film, spy novel, and spy agency to describe things related to espionage.
常見錯誤
spy — verb
1. to secretly gather information about a foreign country, organization, or person,
to secretly gather information about a foreign country, organization, or person, typically acting on behalf of another group
Élise was arrested for spying on a military base during official visits.
grammar pattern: spy on [target]
For years, the company spied on its competitors to steal their product designs.
Owen admitted that he had been paid to spy on the ambassador's private meetings.
Maeve planted a listening device inside the embassy to spy on trade talks.
Ife refused to spy on her own colleagues, even when her boss insisted.
- conduct espionage
more formal; refers specifically to state-sponsored intelligence activities
- eavesdrop
narrower; means listening secretly to conversations, not gathering general information
- monitor
less secretive; can be done openly or legally
文法句型
spy + on + noun phrase
用法筆記
Always takes the preposition 'on' before the target. The target can be a country, organization, or individual. This sense describes systematic intelligence-gathering, not casual observation.
常見錯誤
2. to secretly look around a place in order to find out information about it
to secretly look around a place in order to find out information about it
Rin spied into the empty house through a gap in the curtains.
grammar pattern: spy into [place]
The children spied on their parents wrapping presents in the garage.
A journalist spied around the abandoned factory looking for evidence of pollution.
A group of teenagers spied on the neighbors' party from behind the garden fence.
Gabriel spied around the old warehouse hoping to find clues about the missing painting.
文法句型
spy + on/into/around + noun phrase
用法筆記
Unlike the espionage sense (verb/1), this sense focuses on secretly looking around a specific location. The prepositions 'into' and 'around' are more common here than in verb/1.
常見錯誤
3. to notice or spot someone or something, especially by looking carefully or in a
to notice or spot someone or something, especially by looking carefully or in a place where they are hard to see
Nila spied a rare bird sitting on a branch near the river.
transitive: spy + direct object
Mark spied his old friend across the crowded restaurant and waved.
From the tower, the guard spied a small boat approaching the harbor.
Caio spied a mistake in the report just before the meeting started.
Walking through the market, Mei spied a silver necklace that caught her eye.
文法句型
spy + noun phrase
用法筆記
This is the only transitive sense of the verb 'spy'. Unlike the other verb senses, it does not take a preposition. Frequently used in narrative writing to describe suddenly noticing something.