spy on

phrasal verb

spied on; spying on; spies on
: to watch (someone) secretly
He spies on his neighbors.
Have you been spying on me?

Examples of spy on in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent reports even suggested that a quarter of Americans think someone is spying on their smartphone usage. Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025 Americans still considered spying on adversaries unsavory, but their government simply wasn’t doing that much of it. James Santel, The Atlantic, 8 May 2025 Thirty years after the end of the Cold War, a former political prisoner of the East German secret police searches for the truth after learning his brother spied on him for the regime, and discovers the lasting effects of living in a surveillance state. Matthew Carey, Deadline, 7 May 2025 In the film from director Justin Chadwick (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom), Alba plays Eden, an enigmatic spy on a covert and dangerous mission. Matt Grobar, Deadline, 29 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for spy on

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Spy on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spy%20on. Accessed 19 May. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!