espy
/ɪˈspaɪ/US/əˈspaɪ/
espy verb: to find out or observe (someone or something, especially if not easy to see) by spying or looking; to catch sight of; to see; to spot.
Verb
espy (third-person singular simple present espies, present participle espying, simple past and past participle espied)
- To find out or observe (someone or something, especially if not easy to see) by spying or looking; to catch sight of; to see; to spot.
- to espy land to espy a man in a crowd
- No wyse man entreth in to a gardein but he sone espiethe good herbes from nettiles, and treadeth the nettiles under his feete whiles he gadreth good herbes.1531, Thomas Elyot, “The Seconde and Thirde Decay of Lernyng amonge Gentilmen”, in Ernest Rhys, editor, The Boke Named the Governour […] (Everyman’s Library), London: J[oseph] M[alaby] Dent & Co; New...
- To see (someone or something) without foreplanning or unexpectedly.
- […] I chaunced to eſpie thys foraſyde Peter talkynge wyth a certeyne ſtraunger a man well ſtryken in age wyth a blake sonne burned face, a longe bearde and a cloke catſe homely about hys ſhoulders, whom by hys fauour & apparrel forthwythe I iudged to be a maryner.1551, Thomas More, “The Fyrste Boke of the Communycacion of Raphaell Hythlodaye Concernynge the Best State of a Commen Wealthe”, in Raphe Robynson [i.e., Ralph Robinson], transl., A Fruteful, and...
- Come on my Lords the better foot before, / Straight vvill I bring you to the lothſome pit, / VVhere I eſpied the Panther faſt a ſleepe.c. 1588–1593 (date written), [William Shakespeare], The Most Lamentable Romaine Tragedie of Titus Andronicus: […] (First Quarto), London: […] Iohn Danter, and are to be sold by Edward White & Thomas...
- To observe (someone or something) as a spy; also, to examine or observe (someone or something) carefully; or to look out or watch for.
- Remember the subtyle worldly wyse Counsellours of Hāmon, the sonne of Naas, king of the Amonites, which when Dauid had sent hys seruauntes to comfort the yong kyng, for the death of hys father, by craftye imaginacions counselled Hāmon not alonely not to receiue them gently, but to entreate them...1530 December 10 (date written; Gregorian calendar), Hugh Latimer, “The Letter of Maister Latimer Written to King Henry [VIII], Answering to the foresaid Inhibition of the Byshops”, in John Foxe...
- Novv queſtion me no more vve are eſpied, / Here comes a parcell of our hopefull bootie, / VVhich dreads not yet their liues deſtruction.c. 1588–1593 (date written), [William Shakespeare], The Most Lamentable Romaine Tragedie of Titus Andronicus: […] (First Quarto), London: […] Iohn Danter, and are to be sold by Edward White & Thomas...
- To become aware of (a fact, information, etc.).
- If being the Commander of an army, thou eſpieſt a groſſe and manifeſt error in thine Enemy, look vvell to thy ſelfe, for treachery is not farre off: Hee vvhom deſire of victory binds too much, is apt to ſtumble at his ovvne Ruine.1640, Fra[ncis] Quarles, “[The First Century.] Chapter LXXIII.”, in Enchiridion: Containing Institutions, Divine, Contemplative, Practical. Moral, Ethical, Oeconomicall, Politicall, London: […] R....
- VVhat faults ſoever Thou eſpieſt here, / Fall to, and make thee merry vvith the Cheer.1648, Joseph Beaumont, “Canto XVII. The Mortification. Stanza 201.”, in Psyche: Or Loves Mysterie, […], London: […] John Dawson for George Boddington, […], →OCLC, page 330, column 1
- To observe as a spy, to spy; also, to examine or observe carefully; or to look out or watch.
- O inhabitant of Aroer, ſtand by the way, and eſpie; aſke him that fleeth, and her that eſcapeth, and ſay, VVhat is done?1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Jeremiah 48:19, column 2
- [H]eedful be his eye, / And firm his step, who on the dark edge [of a peak] stands / Beneath the cloud, and downward dares espy.1846, [John Keble], “The Cradle Guarded”, in Lyra Innocentium: Thoughts in Verse on Christian Children, Their Ways, and Their Privileges, Oxford, Oxfordshire: John Henry Parker; London: F[rancis] and...
Noun
espy (countable and uncountable, plural espies)
- An act of finding out or observing by spying or looking; an espial or espying.
- Howe the right and lawes of the land / Were execute, and who durſt take in hand / To diſobey his ſtatutes and decrees, / If they were well kept in all countrees: / Of theſe he made ſubtile inueſtigation / Of his owne eſpie, and other mens relation.1599, Richard Hakluyt, “After the Chapitles of Commodities of Diuers Lands, Sheweth the Conclusion of Keeping of the Sea Enuiron, by a Storie of King Edgar, and Two Incidents of King Edward the...
- When as the Eagle, Ioves great bird, did ſee her enemy, / Sharpe warre in th' ayre with beake ſhe did prepare / Gainſt Serpent feeding in the wood, after eſpy / Cauſe it her egges and young fiercely in peeces tare.1608, Edward Topsell, “Of the Winged Dragon”, in The Historie of Serpents. Or, The Second Booke of Liuing Creatures: […], London: […] William Jaggard, →OCLC, page 168
- A scout or spy.
- Hobomak as confidently aſſured vs it was falſe, and ſent his vvife as an eſpy to ſee; […]1624, Iohn [i.e., John] Smith, “Here Followeth a Briefe Discourse of the Trials of New England, with Certaine Obseruations of the Hollanders Use and Gaine by Fishing, and the Present Estate of that...
- The act or process of learning secret information through clandestine means; espionage.
Proper noun capitalized: Espy
Espy (countable and uncountable, plural Espys)
espy meaning in Malayalam and Kannada
espy in Malayalam
- glimpse, catch sight of, see
- കാഴ്ചയിൽ പെടുക, കണ്ണിൽപെടുക, ഒരുനോക്കു കാണുക, തകരാറു കണ്ടുപിടിക്കുക, കണ്ടുകിട്ടുക, കാണുക
espy in Kannada
- ಕಾಣು, ಬೇಹುಮಾಡು
Examples of espy in a sentence
- [T]hou eſpyedſt a poore drunken Begger (his belly beeing full) heyghing, leaping and dauncing, fetching ſtrange youthfull friskes, & taking care for nothing.1593, Tho[mas] Nashe, Christs Teares Over Ierusalem. […], London: […] Iames Roberts, and are to be solde by Andrewe Wise, […], →OCLC, folio...
- The faults hee eſpyeth in others, he vvill comdemn in himſelfe; if not in the act and habit, vvhich grace preſerueth him from, yet in the ſeedes and inclination: […]1629, Thomas Taylor, “Signes of Repentance, in Respect of Others”, in The Practice of Repentance, Laid Downe in Sundry Directions, together...
- Alas! what ails poor Geraldine? / Why stares she with unsettled eye? / Can she the bodiless dead espy?1797, S[amuel] T[aylor] Coleridge, “Christabel. Part I.”, in Christabel: Kubla Khan, a Vision: The Pains of Sleep, London: […] John Murray...
- If we could open and intend our eye, / We all, like Moses, should espy, / E'en in a bush, the radiant Deity.1844 January–December, Leigh Hunt, “English Pastoral.—(Concluded.)”, in A Jar of Honey from Mount Hybla, London: Smith, Elder, and Co....
Synonyms of espy
1 more synonymsFewer synonyms
Forms of espy
| Verb | |
|---|---|
| third-person singular present | espies |
| present participle | espying |
| past participle | espied |
| past | espied |
| alternative form | espie |
| second-person singular present (archaic) | espiest |
| second-person singular present (archaic) | espyest |
| third-person singular present (archaic) | espieth |
| third-person singular present (archaic) | espyeth |
| Noun | |
| plural | espies |
| Proper noun | |
| plural | Espys |
| alternative form | Espey |
Origin of espy
From Middle English aspien, espien (“to make covert observations of (a person or place) with hostile intent, to spy on; to seek to discover by spying; to act as a spy; to catch sight of, see; to look over, observe; to wait in ambush, to ambush; to plot against; to look for, seek to find; to inquire or look into, investigate; to discover, find”) [and other forms], from Old French espier (“to watch”) (modern French épier (“to keep an eye on, watch; to spy on; (dated) to watch for”)), from Vulgar Latin *spiāre, from Frankish *spehōn (“to look, peer; to spy”), from Proto-Germanic *spehōną (“to look, peer; to spy”), from Proto-Indo-European *speḱ- (“to look, observe, see”). Doublet of spy. Cognates * Ancient Greek σκέπτομαι (sképtomai, “to examine; to look at; to consider, think”) * Italian spiare * Latin speciō (“to look at, observe, watch”) * Old High German spehōn (modern German spähen) * Occitan espiar * Spanish espiar
From Middle English aspie, espie (“covert investigation or observation, scouting, spying; information obtained through spying; secret and treacherous plan, plot; treachery; a scout or spy”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman espie, Old French espie, from espier (verb): see further at etymology 1. Cognates * Italian spia * Spanish espia
Shortened form of Gillespie.
Words formed from espy
Words that rhyme with espy
Questions about espy
- What does espy mean?
- Espy means to find out or observe (someone or something, especially if not easy to see) by spying or looking; to catch sight of; to see; to spot.
- What is espy in Malayalam?
- Espy in Malayalam is കാഴ്ചയിൽ പെടുക, കണ്ണിൽപെടുക, ഒരുനോക്കു കാണുക. See Espy meaning in Malayalam.
- How do you use espy in a sentence?
- [T]hou eſpyedſt a poore drunken Begger (his belly beeing full) heyghing, leaping and dauncing, fetching ſtrange youthfull friskes, & taking care for nothing.
- What part of speech is espy?
- Espy can be a verb, a noun or a proper noun.
- How do you pronounce espy?
- Espy is pronounced /ɪˈspaɪ/ (UK).
- What is the past tense of espy?
- The past tense of espy is espied.
Words near espy in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: espy (page history and authors); Espy (page history and authors); espy (Olam, E.K. Kurup corpus) (dataset and license); espy (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-espy.wav.
Cite this entry: “espy.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/espy. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.