(v. t.) 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.
(v. t.) To inspect narrowly; to examine and keep watch upon; to watch; to observe.
(v. i.) To look or search narrowly; to look about; to watch; to take notice; to spy.
(n.) A spy; a scout.
Example Sentences:
(1) Its hero, Lionel Espy, is a doubting cleric who is far more concerned with the church's social commitments than its sacramental obligations; as a result he is banished from the team-ministry he has created in south London.
(2) Average price £5 The Espy The Espy This Australian-owned pub right on the Portobello seafront comes into its own at breakfast-time, serving a great brunch from 10am, seven days a week.
(3) And so it came about that I was back in London many moons later and I espied Estella in the street.
(4) We went out into the darkness and espied a badly beaten convict hobbling off into the night.
(5) The world they enter is in many ways less promising than the one we espied as dawn rose over the Brandenburg Gate on Friday, 10 November 1989.
(6) To assess both the linkage of these sites with the beta-cluster haplotype and the extent of the polymorphism, we examined several black and Mediterranean chromosomes, by PCR amplification followed by both EspI digestion and oligonucleotide hybridization.
(7) Besides, there were other more exciting matters at hand, for Mr Jarndyce had taken us to stay with Mr Boythorn – pray, don't ask – and in church we had espied for the first time Sir Leicester and My Lady Dedlock.