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Traitor vs Spy - What's the difference?

traitor | spy |

As nouns the difference between traitor and spy

is that traitor is one who violates his allegiance and betrays his/her country; one guilty of treason; one who, in breach of trust, delivers his country to an enemy, or yields up any fort or place intrusted to his defense, or surrenders an army or body of troops to the enemy, unless when vanquished; also, one who takes arms and levies war against his country; or one who aids an enemy in conquering his country while spy is a person who secretly watches and examines the actions of other individuals or organizations and gathers information on them (usually to gain an advantage).

As verbs the difference between traitor and spy

is that traitor is to act the traitor toward; to betray; to deceive while spy is to act as a spy.

As an adjective traitor

is traitorous.

traitor

English

Alternative forms

* traitour (obsolete)

Noun

(en noun)
  • One who violates his allegiance and betrays his/her country; one guilty of treason; one who, in breach of trust, delivers his country to an enemy, or yields up any fort or place intrusted to his defense, or surrenders an army or body of troops to the enemy, unless when vanquished; also, one who takes arms and levies war against his country; or one who aids an enemy in conquering his country.
  • Hence, one who betrays any confidence or trust.
  • Synonyms

    *(one who betrays a confidence or trust) betrayer, fink

    See also

    * Benedict Arnold * Quisling * Judas

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To act the traitor toward; to betray; to deceive.
  • Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • traitorous
  • (Spenser)
    (Alexander Pope)

    spy

    English

    Noun

    (spies)
  • A person who secretly watches and examines the actions of other individuals or organizations and gathers information on them (usually to gain an advantage).
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-29, volume=407, issue=8842, page=55, magazine=(The Economist)
  • , title= Travels and travails , passage=Even without hovering drones, a lurking assassin, a thumping score and a denouement, the real-life story of Edward Snowden, a rogue spy on the run, could be straight out of the cinema. But, as with Hollywood, the subplots and exotic locations may distract from the real message: America’s discomfort and its foes’ glee.}}

    Derived terms

    * spy ring

    Verb

  • To act as a spy.
  • During the Cold War, Russia and America would each spy on each other for recon.
  • To spot; to catch sight of.
  • I think I can spy that hot guy coming over here.
  • * Jonathan Swift
  • One in reading, skipped over all sentences where he spied a note of admiration.
  • * Latimer
  • Look about with your eyes; spy what things are to be reformed in the church of England.
  • To search narrowly; to scrutinize.
  • * Shakespeare
  • It is my nature's plague / To spy into abuses.
  • To explore; to view; inspect and examine secretly, as a country.
  • * Bible, Numbers xxi. 32
  • Moses sent to spy Jaazer, and they took the villages thereof.

    Derived terms

    * spy on

    See also

    *

    Anagrams

    * ---- ==Norwegian Bokmål==

    Noun

  • barf (US), vomit, spew
  • Verb

  • to barf (US), throw up, vomit, spew (also figurative )
  • Synonyms

    * (l)

    References

    * ----