Meanings
spying1
- gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of spy
spying2
plural spyings
- countableuncountableespionage; the act of secretly gathering information
There are two ways in which the obsessive character of jealousy tends to exert itself: one is in the need to know, the endless tests and investigations and spyings that are so characteristic of jealousy.
1980, Amélie Rorty, Explaining Emotions, page 472
Synonyms & antonyms
nounthe act of keeping a secret watch for intelligence purposes
nounthe act of detecting something; catching sight of something
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
spying · noun
- Middle Englishspyinge
- Englishspying
Inherited from Middle English spyinge, spiyng, spyeng, equivalent to spy + -ing.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with spying
Anagrams
Cite this entry
spying. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spying
“spying.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spying. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “spying,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spying.
Source: spying on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.