spy

noun (a spy, spies); verb (spy, spies, spied, spying)

«spy» in the English dictionary: everyday and in Jewish tradition — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

Everyday

A spy is a person who secretly collects information about another country, group or person. tree →
To spy on someone is to watch them secretly. tree →
To spy something is to see or notice it: «I spy with my little eye…». tree →

In the lessons

In stories and films spies use codes, disguises and gadgets. In history lessons spies worked in wars. In everyday life «I spy» is a guessing game. In safety and privacy lessons, spying on people's messages is wrong, and spyware can spy on your computer. Phrases: «spy on», «I spy», «a spy camera», «spy story».

Examples

The spy sent a secret message in code. tree →
Stop spying on me! tree →
Let's play «I spy» in the car. tree →
I spy something beginning with «t». tree →
She spied a coin under the sofa. tree →
In the war, spies hid secret plans in shoes. tree →
The spy wore a disguise so nobody knew him. tree →
“Do you suspect me of being a spy sent by the ogre?” tree →

Note

Plural: «spies»; past: «spied» (y → i). Spying on someone's diary or phone without asking is a breach of privacy and trust.

In Jewish tradition

In Genesis, Joseph accuses his brothers of being spies. In Numbers, it means a man sent to scout the land of Canaan before the people entered. In the Prophets, spies are sent to scout a city or a rival, as when Joshua's people looked at Beth-el, David checked on Saul, and Absalom spread spies to prepare his revolt.

Interpretation. The twelve scouts sent by Moses returned with a fearful report, and the people lost faith. Tradition sees this as a great sin, and the people had to wander forty years, one for each day of the scouting. Absalom's spies are read as part of his scheming to steal the throne.

Examples

And we said unto him: We are upright men; we are no spies. (Torah GEN.42.31, JPS 1917) tree →
And they returned from spying out the land at the end of forty days. (Torah NUM.13.25, JPS 1917) tree →
We are all one man's sons; we are upright men, thy servants are no spies.' (Torah GEN.42.11, JPS 1917) tree →
David therefore sent out spies, and understood that Saul was come of a certainty. (Prophets 1SA.26.4, JPS 1917) tree →
And the house of Joseph sent to spy out Beth-el — now the name of the city beforetime was Luz. (Prophets JDG.1.23, JPS 1917) tree →
But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying: 'As soon as ye hear the sound of the horn, then ye shall say: Absalom is king in Hebron.' (Prophets 2SA.15.10, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Plural: «spies»; past: «spied» (y → i). Spying on someone's diary or phone without asking is a breach of privacy and trust.

On Mova

Trees and pragmatics of «spy» in the school dictionary: every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
«spy» in the school dictionary on Mova free.
Trees and pragmatics of «spy» in the Judaism dictionary: every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
«spy» in the Judaism dictionary on Mova free.

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