witness vs spy

witness and spy both are nouns.

witness and spy both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
witness	Yes	No	Yes	No
spy	Yes	No	Yes	No

As nouns, spy is a hyponym of witness; that is, spy is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than witness:

witness: a close observer; someone who looks at something (such as an exhibition of some kind)
spy: a secret watcher; someone who secretly watches other people

Other hyponyms of witness include browser, bystander, cheerer, eyewitness, gawker, motion-picture fan, moviegoer, ogler, looker-on, onlooker, playgoer, theatergoer, theatregoer, rubberneck, rubbernecker, starer, peeper, Peeping Tom, voyeur.

witness (noun)	spy (noun)
testimony by word or deed to your religious faith	(military) a secret agent hired by a state to obtain information about its enemies or by a business to obtain industrial secrets from competitors
someone who sees an event and reports what happened	a secret watcher; someone who secretly watches other people
a close observer; someone who looks at something (such as an exhibition of some kind)
(law) a person who attests to the genuineness of a document or signature by adding their own signature
(law) a person who testifies under oath in a court of law

witness (verb)	spy (verb)
be a witness to	secretly collect sensitive or classified information; engage in espionage
perceive or be contemporaneous with	watch, observe, or inquire secretly
	catch sight of
	catch sight of; to perceive with the eyes

Difference between witness and spy

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