Spying: meaning, definitions and examples

๐Ÿ•ต๏ธ
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spying

 

[ หˆspaษชษชล‹ ]

Verb
Context #1 | Verb

government surveillance

The act of secretly obtaining information about a foreign government or individual without their knowledge or consent. It is often done by government agencies for intelligence purposes.

Synonyms

espionage, intelligence gathering, surveillance

Examples of usage

  • They were accused of spying on their allies.
  • The spy was caught red-handed while spying on the enemy.
Context #2 | Verb

personal relationships

The act of secretly observing someone's actions, conversations, or whereabouts, usually to gather information or uncover secrets.

Synonyms

eavesdropping, snooping, stalking

Examples of usage

  • She suspected her partner of spying on her phone.
  • He felt uncomfortable knowing that his colleagues were spying on his social media.

Translations

Translations of the word "spying" in other languages:

๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡น espionagem

๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณ เคœเคพเคธเฅ‚เคธเฅ€

๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช Spionage

๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฉ mata-mata

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฆ ัˆะฟะธะณัƒะฝัั‚ะฒะพ

๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฑ szpiegostwo

๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต ใ‚นใƒ‘ใ‚คๆดปๅ‹•

๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท espionnage

๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ธ espionaje

๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ท casusluk

๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ท ์ŠคํŒŒ์ด ํ™œ๋™

๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฆ ุชุฌุณุณ

๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฟ ลกpionรกลพ

๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฐ ลกpionรกลพ

๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ ้—ด่ฐๆดปๅŠจ

๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฎ vohunstvo

๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ธ njรณsnir

๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ฟ ั‚ั‹าฃัˆั‹ะปั‹า›

๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ช แƒฏแƒแƒจแƒฃแƒจแƒแƒ‘แƒ

๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ฟ casusluq

๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฝ espionaje

Etymology

The word 'spying' is derived from the Middle English word 'spien' which means to watch, to catch sight of, to observe. It has been used in the English language since the 13th century. The practice of spying has a long history, dating back to ancient times when spies were used for military and political purposes. Today, spying is often associated with intelligence agencies and surveillance activities.

See also: spies, spy, spyglass, spyware.

Word Frequency Rank

With rank #19,048, this word belongs to specialized vocabulary. While not common in everyday speech, it enriches your ability to express complex ideas.