# spying

Pronunciation: say "SPY-ing" /ˈspaɪ.ɪŋ/

## Noun

1. The practice of secretly gathering information, especially about an enemy, rival, or competitor.
   - Simple: The act of secretly watching people or countries to find out hidden information.
   - _The novel follows a quiet clerk drawn into a world of spying and betrayal._
   - _She was arrested on charges of spying for a foreign government._

## Verb

2. Present participle of spy. — present participle and gerund of spy
   - Simple: Present participle of spy. Use this form for something happening right now.
   - _The agency was caught spying on its own citizens._
   - _Spying through a gap in the fence, she overheard the entire plan._

## Origin

**Meaning 2** — Formed from "spy" combined with the suffix "-ing".
**Meaning 1** — Inherited from Middle English "spyinge" (also "spiyng", "spyeng"), equivalent to "spy" plus the suffix "-ing".

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/spying (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).