spy on
phrasal verb
spied on; spying on; spies on
: to watch (someone) secretly
He spies on his neighbors.
Have you been spying on me?
Examples of spy on in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In supporting the legislation, U.S. lawmakers have cited fears that TikTok represents a national security threat, potentially giving the Chinese government a way to spy on Americans or push pro-China propaganda through the video app.
—
Todd Spangler, Variety, 7 May 2024
Prior to their arrest, the colonels spied on Zelenskyy and provided information to FSB on the presidential guard, as well as Zelenskyy’s movements.
—Peter Aitken, Fox News, 7 May 2024
The naval attaché, Gaston Cassar, had been sent to Salonica the year before, in 1939, to spy on Mussolini’s men in the Aegean Sea.
—Jennifer Wilson, The New Yorker, 6 May 2024
This year, the U.S. Commerce Department launched an investigation into whether Chinese vehicles' navigation and communication features could spy on Americans.
—Camila Domonoske, NPR, 6 May 2024
Barnett had sued Boeing, claiming that he had been retaliated against, harassed and spied on by the company.
—Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 2 May 2024
The concern among many U.S. lawmakers — both Democrats and Republicans — is that because ByteDance is a Chinese company, the People’s Republic of China could seek to use TikTok to spy on Americans or force the app to spread pro-China propaganda.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 24 Apr. 2024
So far, there has been no public evidence that the app is being used to spy on U.S. citizens, but reporting from multiple outlets have indicated TikTok's American operation has struggled to fully separate from its Chinese parent company.
—USA TODAY, 24 Apr. 2024
TikTok is owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance, yet there is no publicly available evidence that government officials have ever influenced what Americans see on the app, nor any proof that officials in China have spied on U.S. citizens through TikTok.
—Bobby Allyn, NPR, 20 Apr. 2024
Todd Spangler, Variety, 7 May 2024
Prior to their arrest, the colonels spied on Zelenskyy and provided information to FSB on the presidential guard, as well as Zelenskyy’s movements.
—Peter Aitken, Fox News, 7 May 2024
The naval attaché, Gaston Cassar, had been sent to Salonica the year before, in 1939, to spy on Mussolini’s men in the Aegean Sea.
—Jennifer Wilson, The New Yorker, 6 May 2024
This year, the U.S. Commerce Department launched an investigation into whether Chinese vehicles' navigation and communication features could spy on Americans.
—Camila Domonoske, NPR, 6 May 2024
Barnett had sued Boeing, claiming that he had been retaliated against, harassed and spied on by the company.
—Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 2 May 2024
The concern among many U.S. lawmakers — both Democrats and Republicans — is that because ByteDance is a Chinese company, the People’s Republic of China could seek to use TikTok to spy on Americans or force the app to spread pro-China propaganda.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 24 Apr. 2024
So far, there has been no public evidence that the app is being used to spy on U.S. citizens, but reporting from multiple outlets have indicated TikTok's American operation has struggled to fully separate from its Chinese parent company.
—USA TODAY, 24 Apr. 2024
TikTok is owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance, yet there is no publicly available evidence that government officials have ever influenced what Americans see on the app, nor any proof that officials in China have spied on U.S. citizens through TikTok.
—Bobby Allyn, NPR, 20 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spy on.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to spy on
Dictionary Entries Near spy on
Cite this Entry
“Spy on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spy%20on. Accessed 11 May. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share