ESPY', verb intransitive [Latin specio.] 1. To see at a distance; to have the first sight of a thing remove. Seamen espy land as they approach it. 2. To see or discover something intended to be hid, or in a degree concealed and not very visible; as, to espy a man in a crowd, or a thief in a wood. 3. To discover unexpectedly. As one of them opened his sack, he espied his money. Genesis 42:27. 4. To inspect narrowly; to examine and make discoveries. Moses sent me to espy out the land, and I brought him word again. Joshua 14:7. ESPY', verb intransitive To look narrowly; to look about; to watch. Stand by the way and espy Jeremiah 48:19. [This word is often pronounced spy, which see.] ESPY', noun A spy; a scout.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI