EN

Synonyms for espy

  • verb
  • noun

Most common

discover catch sight of spy discern

All synonyms

Verb

1. Catch sight of — to find out or observe (someone or something, especially if not easy to see) by spying or looking; to catch…

catch sight of, spy, see, descry formal, spot, discover, discern, sight, ken, observe, detect, perceive, distinguish, behold

Noun

make-out, scout, espial

Definitions

  1. v. 1

    To find out or observe (someone or something, especially if not easy to see) by spying or looking; to catch sight of; to see; to spot.

    to espy land    to espy a man in a crowd

Related words

Word family
espial espionage

Forms

Plural
espies → make-outs, scouts, espials…
Past participle
espied
e.g. espied → seen, descried, spotted, discovered…

Choose the right word

Espy or Descry?

We descry (originally espy) what is difficult to discover.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Example sentences

  • discover How foolish I was not to discover that simple lie!
  • spy I spy with my little eye something beginning with…
  • discern It is hard to discern between the true and the false.

Popularity over time

Word1850 → 2019Trend
espysteady
discoverrising
spyrising
discernrising

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

3 letters
see1, spy1, ken1
4 letters
spot1
5 letters
sight1, scout1
6 letters
detect2, behold2, descry2, espial
7 letters
observe2, discern2
8 letters
discover3, perceive2
11 letters
distinguish3

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (detect2 = 2 syllables).