espy

/ɪˈspaɪ/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪˈspaɪ/ (ame, ipa) · /i-ˈspī/ (ame, mw)

espy — verb

  • espypresent simple I / you / we / they
  • espieshe / she / it
  • espiedpast simple
  • espying-ing form

1. to unexpectedly see someone or something, especially at a distance or after look

1.動詞及物C1
釋義

to unexpectedly see someone or something, especially at a distance or after looking carefully — for example, espying a friend in a crowd or a ship on the horizon

例句

From the hilltop, Thea espied a deer moving through the misty forest below.

espy + object at a distance

The night-guard espies a light flickering in the abandoned building.

present tense: espies

同義詞
  • spot

    more common in everyday English; can apply to noticing anything, not just distant things

  • glimpse

    focuses on seeing briefly or incompletely, whereas espy can involve looking carefully

  • catch sight of

    neutral in register; more widely used in both speech and writing

文法句型

espy + noun phrase

用法筆記

Frequently used in narrative or literary contexts rather than everyday speech. The object is typically something visible at a distance or partly hidden.

常見錯誤

❌I espied the answer in the textbook.
✅I spotted the answer in the textbook.
💡'espy' refers to physically seeing something, not finding information.
❌She espied at the bird through binoculars.
✅She espied a bird through binoculars.
💡'espy' is always transitive and takes a direct object without a preposition.