ESPY • FREE TRANSLATOR.ORG • Definition of Espy

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/ˈɛspi/ Listen

noun

Espy n. (pl. espies) A spy; a scout. (Obs.)

verb

Espy v. t. (past & past part. espied; pres. part. espying)

To catch sight of; to perceive with the eyes; to discover, as a distant object partly concealed, or not obvious to notice; to see at a glance; to discern unexpectedly; to spy; as, to espy land; to espy a man in a crowd. "As one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender in the inn,... he espied his money." "A goodly vessel did I then espy Come like a giant from a haven broad."

To inspect narrowly; to examine and keep watch upon; to watch; to observe. "He sends angels to espy us in all our ways."

Synonyms: To discern; discover; detect; descry; spy.

Espy v. i. To look or search narrowly; to look about; to watch; to take notice; to spy. "Stand by the way, and espy."

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Etymology of 'Espy'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Espy" Quotes from Famous Books

... noble face we espy, 'Tis a boy of ten years we shall find; There's a spice of the rogue in that merry young eye, With good sense and good ...

— The Kings and Queens of England with Other Poems • Mary Ann H. T. Bigelow

... middle of the evening Prince Victor happened to look up from an interesting tete-a-tete in the brilliant drawing-room with his handsome and liberal-minded hostess opportunely to espy Nogam staring at him from the remote recesses of the ...

— Red Masquerade • Louis Joseph Vance

... Chosen a prison for Prometheus, climb! There in unvoiced oblivion sink thy name, And bid the sun, thine only visitant, Divulge not to the far-off world of men What once-famed wretch he there did espy hid. There nurse a late remorse, and thank the Gods, And thank thy bitterest foe, that, having lost All things but life, thou lose not life ...

— Poetical Works of Matthew Arnold • Matthew Arnold

... show to me, * Laud to her All-creating Lord, laud to the Lord on high, She left me full of mourning, sleepless, sick with pine and pain * And ceaseth not my heart to yearn her mystery[FN208] to espy." ...

— The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4 • Richard F. Burton

... entertayne. 1085 Thenceforth proceeding with his princely trayne, He shortly met the Tygre, and the Bore, Which with the simple Camell raged sore In bitter words, seeking to take occasion Upon his fleshly corpse to make invasion: 1090 But soone as they this mock-king did espy, Their troublous strife they stinted by and by, [Stinted by and by, stopped at once.] Thinking indeed that it the Lyon was. He then, to prove whether his powre would pas As currant, sent the Foxe to them streight way, 1095 Commaunding them their cause of strife ...

— The Poetical Works of Edmund Spenser, Volume 5 • Edmund Spenser

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