spy cop

noun

An undercover police officer tasked with infiltrating a politically active group which is deemed to pose a risk of criminal activity, so as to allow the police to monitor the group's activities on an ongoing basis.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounspy cop (plural spy cops)

plural spy cops · alternative spycop

  1. UKslanggovernmentAn undercover police officer tasked with infiltrating a politically active group which is deemed to pose a risk of criminal activity, so as to allow the police to monitor the group's activities on an ongoing basis.

Origin

From spy + cop (“police officer”).

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

spy cop. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spy%20cop

MLA

“spy cop.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spy%20cop. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “spy cop,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spy%20cop.

Source: spy cop on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.