Transcription
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
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- [spahy]
- /spaɪ/
- /spaɪ/
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [spahy]
- /spaɪ/
Definitions of spying word
- noun plural spying a person employed by a government to obtain secret information or intelligence about another, usually hostile, country, especially with reference to military or naval affairs. 1
- noun plural spying a person who keeps close and secret watch on the actions and words of another or others. 1
- noun plural spying a person who seeks to obtain confidential information about the activities, plans, methods, etc., of an organization or person, especially one who is employed for this purpose by a competitor: an industrial spy. 1
- noun plural spying the act of spying. 1
- verb without object spying to observe secretively or furtively with hostile intent (often followed by on or upon). 1
- verb without object spying to act as a spy; engage in espionage. 1
Information block about the term
Origin of spying
First appearance:
before 1200 One of the 9% oldest English words
1200-50; (v.) Middle English spien, aphetic variant of espien to espy; (noun) Middle English, aphetic variant of espy a spy < Old French espie
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Spying
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
spying popularity
A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 96% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".
spying usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for spying
noun spying
- eavesdropping — to listen secretly to a private conversation.
- espionage — The practice of spying or of using spies, typically by governments to obtain political and military information.
- observing — to see, watch, perceive, or notice: He observed the passersby in the street.
- wiretap — an act or instance of tapping telephone or telegraph wires for evidence or other information.
See also
Matching words
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