MEANING
To catch sight of or notice something, often after looking.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- espy a figure
- espy a glimmer
On the page
She espied a glimmer beneath the closed door.
From the ridge he espied the first sign of habitation.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- espy
- Past tense
- espied
- Past participle
- espied
- Present participle
- espying
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- espy
- Present continuous
- am/is/are espying
- Present perfect
- have/has espied
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been espying
- Past
- espied
- Past continuous
- was/were espying
- Past perfect
- had espied
- Past perfect continuous
- had been espying
- Future
- will espy
- Future continuous
- will be espying
- Future perfect
- will have espied
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been espying
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
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Usage notes
Primary category: literary. Forms: espy; espies; espied; espied; espying Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Third-person singular: espies.
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