spy
gb/spˈaɪ/ us/spˈaɪ/
B1
English
~ 3700
kém, kémkedik, titokban megfigyel, megpillant, észrevesz
NOUN
B1
1
kém
B1
Usage pattern:
[someone] is a spy
The spy infiltrated the enemy's headquarters.
A kém beépült az ellenség főhadiszállására.
She was accused of being a spy for another country.
Azzal vádolták, hogy egy másik ország kémje.
Spies often work under false identities.
He was caught and tried as a foreign spy.
Learner examples
The spy took photos of the base.
A kém fényképeket készített a bázisról.
They think he is a spy.
Azt hiszik, hogy kém.
A spy works in secret.
The spy sent a message to his boss.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'spy' with 'detective'; detectives investigate crimes openly, while spies gather information secretly.
Meaning
A person gathering secret information
Collocations
secret spy
|foreign spy
|double spy
|undercover spy
|enemy spy
Synonyms
agent (A more general term for someone working for an intelligence service; not always secretive.)
|
operative (Often used for professional agents working in covert operations.)
Antonyms
informant (Provides information openly or to authorities, not necessarily in a covert role.)
Themes
crime
|politics
|security
|law
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A person who secretly gets information about another group, country, or person.
A person employed to secretly collect information, especially about the activities of a foreign government or rival organization.
VERB
B1
2
kémkedik
B1
Usage pattern:
to spy on [someone/something]
The kids tried to spy on their teacher after school.
A gyerekek megpróbáltak iskola után kémkedni a tanáruk után.
They spied on the company's competitors.
Kémkedtek a vállalat versenytársai után.
He was caught spying on his neighbors.
Learner examples
I saw him spy on the house.
Láttam, hogy a ház után kémkedik.
The boy spied on his sister.
A fiú kémkedett a nővére után.
They spy on the animals in the forest.
Common mistake:
Learners may forget to use 'on' after 'spy' when meaning 'watch secretly'.
Meaning
To secretly watch or monitor
Collocations
spy on neighbors
|spy on activities
|spy through window
Synonyms
monitor (Implies ongoing observation, not necessarily secret.)
|
surveil (More formal and technical term for systematic observation.)
Antonyms
ignore (To pay no attention instead of secretly watching.)
Themes
crime
|security
|daily life
|law
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To watch someone or something secretly to get information.
To observe or find out about someone or something in a secret or covert way.
VERB
B2
3
megpillant
B2
észrevesz
A2
Usage pattern:
to spy [something/someone] [somewhere]
From the hill, we spied the village below.
A dombról megpillantottuk lent a falut.
She spied her friend across the street.
Megpillantotta a barátját az utca túloldalán.
He spied a deer in the forest.
Learner examples
I spied a bird in the tree.
Megpillantottam egy madarat a fán.
She spied her dog in the park.
Megpillantotta a kutyáját a parkban.
We spied a car on the road.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this sense with 'spy on', which means to watch secretly for a period of time.
Meaning
To notice suddenly or from a distance
Collocations
spy a ship
|spy land
|spy a friend
Synonyms
spot (Common informal term for noticing something.)
|
notice (General term for becoming aware of something visually.)
Antonyms
overlook (To fail to notice something.)
Themes
daily life
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To see something suddenly, often from far away.
To catch sight of something, often unexpectedly or from far away.
Grammar
Dictionary form
spy
IPA
GB/spˈaɪ/
US/spˈaɪ/
Syllables & stress
spy (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (spy)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: spy
- Plural: spies
Verb
- Base: spy
- 3rd Person Singular: spies
- Present Participle: spying
- Past: spied
Word family
Forms
spies
noun
spying
verb
spied
verb
Related words
espionage
noun C1
Expressions
spy on
1/spˈaɪ ˈɔn/
phrasal verb
Watch secretly for information
To watch someone without them knowing to get information.
Examples
- The police spied on the suspects for weeks.
- She felt like someone was spying on her.
spy out the land
1/spˈaɪ ˈaʊt ðə lˈænd/
idiom
Secretly check an area beforehand
To look at a place carefully and secretly before doing something there.
Examples
- They sent scouts to spy out the land before building the camp.
- We need to spy out the land before we start our business there.