Spying

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Spy \Spy\ (sp[imac]), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Spied} (sp[imac]d);
     p. pr. & vb. n. {Spying}.] [OE. spien, espien, OF. espier, F.
     ['e]pier, OHG. speh[=o]n, G. sp[aum]hen; akin to L. specere
     to see, Skr. spa[,c]. [root] 169. Cf. {Espy}, v. t.,
     {Aspect}, {Auspice}, {Circumspect}, {Conspicuous}, {Despise},
     {Frontispiece}, {Inspect}, {Prospect}, {Respite}, {Scope},


     {Specimen}, {Spectacle}, {Specter}, {Speculate}, {Spice},
     {Spite}, {Suspicion}.]
     1. To gain sight of; to discover at a distance, or in a state
        of concealment; to espy; to see.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              One, in reading, skipped over all sentences where he
              spied a note of admiration.           --Swift.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. To discover by close search or examination.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Look about with your eyes; spy what things are to be
              reformed in the church of England.    --Latimer.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. To explore; to view, inspect, and examine secretly, as a
        country; -- usually with out.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Moses sent to spy out Jaazer, and they took the
              villages thereof.                     --Num. xxi.
                                                    32.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  spying
       n 1: keeping a secret or furtive watch
       2: the act of keeping a secret watch for intelligence purposes
          [syn: {undercover work}]
       3: the act of detecting something; catching sight of something
          [syn: {detection}, {catching}, {espial}, {spotting}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  33 Moby Thesaurus words for "spying":
     bugging, cloak-and-dagger work, counterespionage,
     counterintelligence, detection, electronic surveillance, espial,
     espionage, following, intelligence, intelligence work, looking,
     lookout, military intelligence, note, notice, observance,
     observation, regard, respect, secret police, secret service,
     shadowing, stakeout, surveillance, tailing, trailing, viewing,
     watch, watching, wiretap, wiretapping, witnessing