Home › Words › S › spyhopspyhopspyhop · noun — the action of raising the front half of the body out of the sea in a controlled manner.Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, spyhop ranks #876 of 43,252 for Qualifying.EtymologyFrom spy + hop.nounThe action of raising the front half of the body out of the sea in a controlled manner.e.g.“In a more vigorous spyhop, the pectorals are exposed but are rarely brought completely out of the water. On occasion a whale respires during a spyhop.” — 1986, Barbara C. Kirkevold, Joan S. Lockard, Behavioral Biology of Killer Whales, A.R. Liss, page 153:verbTo raise the front half of the body out of the sea in a controlled manner.e.g.“Killer whales sometimes spyhop. To spyhop, they lift the front half of their body out of the water.” — 2002, Anne Welsbacher, Killer Whales, Capstone High-Interest Books, page 14Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).