counterintelligence
Americannoun
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the activity of an intelligence service employed in thwarting the efforts of an enemy's intelligence agents to gather information or commit sabotage. CI
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an organization engaged in counterintelligence. CI
noun
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activities designed to frustrate enemy espionage
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intelligence collected about enemy espionage
Etymology
Origin of counterintelligence
First recorded in 1935–40; counter- + intelligence
Explanation
Information and activity that helps to expose or eliminate spying or terrorist threats is counterintelligence. One of the things the CIA is responsible for is counterintelligence. Governments spy on each other, and the action of spying is called intelligence or espionage. When a country works to oppose or uncover spying, it's counterintelligence, or counterespionage. In the United States, both the CIA and the FBI have counterintelligence units. The word has been used since 1940, from counter, "against," and intelligence, from the Latin intelligentia, "power of discerning." The sense of intelligence as "secret information from spies" dates from the 16th century.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
An FBI counterintelligence agent is accused of taking about $1 million worth of cryptocurrency from the digital accounts of an overseas suspect in a U.S. criminal investigation, according to court documents.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
Under the previous Mexican administration, the government conducted strong counterintelligence that tracked U.S. law enforcement efforts across the country, said one person familiar with the operations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026
The number of FBI employees working in counterterrorism and counterintelligence continues to fall.
From Slate ● Apr. 21, 2026
Rodriguez also replaced the head of the presidential guard, who leads the feared counterintelligence unit, and named a new economic czar.
From Barron's ● Jan. 12, 2026
A blowup of the film found inside the coin arrived at the desk of Robert Lamphere, an FBI counterintelligence agent in Washington, D.C.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
