spy
/spaɪ/ (bre, ipa) · /spaɪ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈspī/ (ame, mw)
spy — 名詞
- spysingular
- spiesplural
1. a person whose job is to secretly obtain information about a foreign government,
間諜
祕密收集情報的人
a person whose job is to secretly obtain information about a foreign government, company, or group, often for political or military purposes
A suspected spy was watching the naval base from a nearby apartment.
一名疑似間諜正在附近公寓監視海軍基地。
collocation: suspected spy
Anong worked as a spy for ten years before retiring to a quiet village.
Anong 當了十年間諜，之後退休到一個安靜的村莊。
Paloma discovered that her new colleague was a spy for a rival company.
Paloma 發現她的新同事其實是競爭公司的間諜。
A spy must leave the country quickly when her cover is blown.
間諜一旦身份曝光就必須迅速逃離該國。
Military spies often use coded messages to report troop movements to their handlers.
軍方間諜常用密碼訊息向上級回報部隊動向。
- agent
broader term; can refer to any person working for an intelligence service, not necessarily in secret
- double agent
a spy who works for two opposing sides at the same time
- mole
a spy who works inside an organization for years, often trusted by their targets
- informant
someone who gives information to authorities, usually not employed as a professional spy
用法筆記
Frequently appears in compound nouns such as spy film, spy novel, and spy agency to describe things related to espionage.
常見錯誤
spy — 動詞
- spypresent simple I / you / we / they
- spies3rd person singular
- spying-ing form
- spiedpast simple
1. to secretly gather information about a foreign country, organization, or person,
刺探
祕密收集他國或組織的情報
to secretly gather information about a foreign country, organization, or person, typically acting on behalf of another group
Élise was arrested for spying on a military base during official visits.
Élise 因在官方訪問期間對軍事基地進行間諜活動而被捕。
grammar pattern: spy on [target]
For years, the company spied on its competitors to steal their product designs.
多年來，該公司暗中監視競爭對手，竊取他們的產品設計。
Owen admitted that he had been paid to spy on the ambassador's private meetings.
Owen 承認他曾受僱刺探大使私人會議的內容。
Maeve planted a listening device inside the embassy to spy on trade talks.
Maeve 在大使館內安裝竊聽器，以刺探貿易談判的內容。
Ife refused to spy on her own colleagues, even when her boss insisted.
Ife 拒絕刺探自己的同事，即使老闆堅持要她這麼做。
- conduct espionage
more formal; refers specifically to state-sponsored intelligence activities
- eavesdrop
narrower; means listening secretly to conversations, not gathering general information
- monitor
less secretive; can be done openly or legally
文法句型
spy + on + noun phrase
用法筆記
Always takes the preposition 'on' before the target. The target can be a country, organization, or individual. This sense describes systematic intelligence-gathering, not casual observation.
常見錯誤
2. to secretly look around a place in order to find out information about it
窺探
偷偷查看某處以獲取資訊
to secretly look around a place in order to find out information about it
Rin spied into the empty house through a gap in the curtains.
Rin 透過窗簾縫隙朝空屋裡窺探。
grammar pattern: spy into [place]
The children spied on their parents wrapping presents in the garage.
孩子們偷偷看著父母在車庫裡包裝禮物。
A journalist spied around the abandoned factory looking for evidence of pollution.
一名記者暗中探查廢棄工廠，尋找污染證據。
A group of teenagers spied on the neighbors' party from behind the garden fence.
一群青少年從花園籬笆後面偷看鄰居的派對。
Gabriel spied around the old warehouse hoping to find clues about the missing painting.
Gabriel 在老倉庫附近四處探查，希望能找到關於失蹤畫作的線索。
文法句型
spy + on/into/around + noun phrase
用法筆記
Unlike the espionage sense (verb/1), this sense focuses on secretly looking around a specific location. The prepositions 'into' and 'around' are more common here than in verb/1.
常見錯誤
3. to notice or spot someone or something, especially by looking carefully or in a
瞥見；發現
仔細看後發現或認出
to notice or spot someone or something, especially by looking carefully or in a place where they are hard to see
Nila spied a rare bird sitting on a branch near the river.
Nila 發現河邊樹枝上停著一隻罕見的鳥。
transitive: spy + direct object
Mark spied his old friend across the crowded restaurant and waved.
Mark 在擁擠的餐廳對面瞥見老朋友，便揮手打招呼。
From the tower, the guard spied a small boat approaching the harbor.
警衛從塔樓上看見一艘小船正駛向港口。
Caio spied a mistake in the report just before the meeting started.
Caio 在會議開始前發現報告中有一處錯誤。
Walking through the market, Mei spied a silver necklace that caught her eye.
Mei 走過市場時，瞥見一條吸引她的銀項鍊。
文法句型
spy + noun phrase
用法筆記
This is the only transitive sense of the verb 'spy'. Unlike the other verb senses, it does not take a preposition. Frequently used in narrative writing to describe suddenly noticing something.