spies

NOUN

person who secretly finds out about another's business

Synonyms

STRONGEST

agent detective informer investigator mole operative secret agent secret service undercover agent

STRONG

emissary lookout observer patrol picket plant scout sleeper sleuth snoop spook spotter watcher

WEAK

double agent espionage agent foreign agent inside agent intelligencer

VERB

secretly follow, watch another's actions

Synonyms

STRONGEST

discover examine scrutinize snoop

STRONG

case eyeball glimpse meddle notice observe peep pry reconnoiter scout search shadow sleuth spot stag tail trail view watch

WEAK

catch sight of fish out get a load of keep under surveillance look for recon set eyes on stake out take in take note

Antonyms

STRONG

ignore miss neglect overlook

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Foreign spies were seeking to recruit Australians to reveal official secrets about AUKUS, the country's security partnership with Britain and the United States.

From Barron's • Jun. 24, 2026

So was the US military, its diplomats and spies.

From BBC • Jun. 18, 2026

BEIJING—Chinese spies are increasingly posing as job recruiters on LinkedIn and other professional networking sites to recruit Western military and government personnel, the U.S. and its intelligence allies warned this week, reinforcing calls for vigilance.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026

Chinese spies are posing as recruitment agents to trick UK government and military staff into disclosing state secrets, MI5 has warned.

From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026

At the White House, CIA officials kept President Kennedy informed of the intelligence—the product, as spies call it.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin