Verb They were accused of spying for a foreign government. I spy a motel off in the distance, so let's spend the night there. Noun He was a spy for the CIA. My coworker is a spy for the boss.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Countries typically spy on one another’s military exercises to gain information about key weapon systems. Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "China Complains a U-2 Spy Plane Infiltrated Its No-Fly Zone," 26 Aug. 2020

The goal is to counter claims by the Trump administration that the app, which is owned by China's ByteDance, amounts to a tool that Beijing can use to spy on Americans. Irina Ivanova, CBS News, "TikTok launches new website to combat "misinformation"," 17 Aug. 2020

The Trump versus China tech war stems from fears that the country may use apps to spy on Americans. Dalvin Brown, USA TODAY, "Survey finds more than half of all Americans back potential ban on TikTok," 12 Aug. 2020

Were Amazon to spy on pro-union workers, that could be considered a violation, says Baran. Louise Matsakis, Wired, "Amazon Deletes Job Posts Seeking Analysts to Track 'Labor Organizing Threats'," 1 Sep. 2020

Roberts was part of a broad government operation to spy on Malcolm. Les Payne, The New Yorker, "The Day Malcolm X Was Killed," 27 Aug. 2020

The report came at the request of federal lawmakers who worried that the planes were used to spy on and collect information on thousands of demonstrators who protested the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Uriel J. Garcia, The Arizona Republic, "Plane monitoring protesters wasn't collecting data, federal report says," 25 Aug. 2020

For a brief and alarming spell, Henry follows her in secret to spy on her alone time. Natalia Winkelman, New York Times, "‘Chemical Hearts’ Review: Trauma Catalyzes a Teen Romance," 21 Aug. 2020

Under the direction of George Washington, Hale volunteered to spy on the British in Long Island. courant.com, "My favorite Connecticut patriot," 20 Aug. 2020

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

British authorities identified the Soviet-era Novichok as the poison used on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in England in 2018. Frank Jordans, Star Tribune, "Hospital: Russia opposition leader Alexei Navalny out of coma, is responsive," 7 Sep. 2020

British authorities identified the Soviet-era Novichok as the poison used on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in England in 2018. Arkansas Online, "Hospital says Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny out of coma," 7 Sep. 2020

He was poisoned with a nerve agent in the same group as Novichok, which was used to poison former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury, England, in 2018. Washington Post Staff, Washington Post, "Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was brought out of an induced coma after poisoning by a nerve agent, Berlin clinic says," 7 Sep. 2020

British authorities identified Novichok as the poison used on former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in England. Geir Moulson, The Christian Science Monitor, "'Proof without doubt' that Navalny was poisoned, says Germany," 3 Sep. 2020

Pelosi disagreed with Trump’s response to the claims about the intelligence on a Russian spy unit making bounty offers, particularly the president’s assertion that the story lacks credibility. Susan Ferrechio, Washington Examiner, "Russia, Russia, Russia! Democrats revive Trump-Putin narrative in wake of 'bounty' claim," 29 June 2020

The substance was used in the March 2018 attempted murder of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter on British soil, prompting a concerted expulsion of 150 Russian diplomats. Arne Delfs, Fortune, "Pressure builds on Merkel to exit Russian pipeline deal to punish Putin," 3 Sep. 2020

The Kremlin sought to help President Donald Trump win the 2016 election, in the consensus view of U.S. spy agencies and congressional intelligence committees. Todd J. Gillman, Dallas News, "Pelosi threatens spy chief John Ratcliffe with subpoena if briefings on election meddling don’t resume," 1 Sep. 2020

New Zealand called in its spy agency and activated security crisis plans to help defend the stock exchange from overseas attack, after hackers disrupted the market for a fourth straight day. Matthew Brockett, Bloomberg.com, "New Zealand Deploys Spy Agency as Hackers Hit Stock Market," 28 Aug. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'spy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.