This is the 3705th most frequent Dutch word.
spionnen
"Spionnen" means "spies" in English.
Here, 'spionnen' is used as the subject of the sentence, referring to individuals acting as spies.
De spionnen verzamelden informatie over de vijand.
The spies gathered information about the enemy.
In this case, 'spionnen' is used descriptively to describe what the children were pretending to be.
Tijdens het spel deden de kinderen alsof ze spionnen waren.
During the game, the kids pretended to be spies.
The word 'spionnen' is employed here to represent the concept of spies as a group, referenced in a general sense.