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.

The name, first used by a band of World War I-era Jewish spies, signified that no one identified in the attack would be forgotten.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said their forces had arrested 10 "foreign spies" in the northeastern Razavi Khorasan province but did not give their nationalities.

From Barron's • Mar. 17, 2026

Commentators say this kind of information would be used alongside more traditional intelligence - such as that gathered from human spies.

From BBC • Mar. 11, 2026

Israel recruited spies and hacked into traffic cameras across the Iranian capital for real-time information, according to a person familiar with the matter.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026

I wonder how many spies the Germans have sent into that doctor’s office, trying to catch him at doing something wrong.

From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron