espy

verb

i-ˈspī How to pronounce espy (audio)
Definition of espynext
as in to notice
to make note of (something) through the use of one's eyes out of the corner of my eye I espied the squirrel making another raid on the bird feeder

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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 Examples of espy The film’s comedy is built from a series of infinitesimal touches and chance intrusions, as when Édouard, espying Charles in the street, leaps from his seat at a sidewalk café and jostles a waiter bearing drinks. — Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 9 July 2024 Imprisoned by the Duke of Athens, the cousins espy the beautiful Emilia from their cell—and each man falls immediately in love. — Andrea Mays, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 May 2024 If a basket-hanger was espied by the recipient, the recipient would give chase and try to steal a kiss from the basket-hanger. — Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 30 Jan. 2024 Images taken from different realities, different spaces, times, places that have been sort of cut out and pasted together to create a new scene that depicts something that no human eye would ever have espied. — Philip Martin, Arkansas Online, 13 Mar. 2023 Resentful 1970s émigrés were prodding the West to espy its true enemy not in communism, but in an irredeemable Russia. — Ignat Solzhenitsyn, WSJ, 23 Oct. 2020 The cub tried to sneak up on him, but was quickly espied by the older lion. — Kelli Bender, PEOPLE.com, 20 June 2019 For instance, visitors can scan through an electronic infographic for terrariums filled with camouflaging Gulf Coast toads, then head outside onto more than 2 miles of dirt and boardwalk trails to espy the bayou's flora and fauna. — Beau Evans, NOLA.com, 6 Oct. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for espy
  1. notice
  2. see
  3. spot
  4. eye
Verb
  • The scholar of religion Friedrich Max Müller (1823–1900) noticed that many Vedic hymns praise different deities using the same superlatives and ascribe to them the same mythological feats.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026
  • These wild swings in the numbers came while residents here didn’t notice any change to the slow but steady arrival of newcomers in dilapidated coaches.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of notice
Verb
  • Institutional investors still seem to see growth opportunities, even if some sovereign wealth funds show signs of potential pullbacks.
    — Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The expansion will see Amazon Web Services (AWS) deploy 2 million additional Nvidia graphics processing units (GPUs) in fiscal years 2027 and 2028.
    — Zev Fima, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of see
Verb
  • Roman will be able to use its coronagraph like a shield against harsh starlight to spot planets that are otherwise difficult to see around other stars and identify them.
    — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026
  • With new digital imaging techniques, astronomers were able to spot a new and tiny world orbiting 4 billion miles beyond Neptune.
    — Tariq Malik, Space.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of spot
Verb
  • Last year, Killian was on a list with other campuses that appear to be eyed for closure.
    — Austin Horn August 29, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Production is being eyed for November, filming primarily in the Tampa/Clearwater area, where the original Hooters restaurant opened in 1983.
    — Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of eye

Browse Nearby Words

esprit
espy
espying
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Cite this Entry

“Espy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/espy. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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