espionage
Americannoun
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the act or practice of spying.
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the use of spies by a government to discover the military and political secrets of other nations.
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the use of spies by a corporation or the like to acquire the plans, technical knowledge, etc., of a competitor.
industrial espionage.
noun
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the systematic use of spies to obtain secret information, esp by governments to discover military or political secrets
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the act or practice of spying
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of espionage
First recorded in 1785–95; from French espionnage, Middle French espionage, from espionn(er) “to spy” (derivative of espion “a spy,” from Italian spione, from Germanic ) + -age -age; see espy
Explanation
It's no secret: espionage is the act of organized spying, usually with the goal of uncovering sensitive military or political information. If the government has relocated you to a foreign country, made you change your name, given you a fake mustache to wear, and instructed you to hide in a closet at the presidential palace and report back weekly on what you overhear, then you are engaging in espionage. This noun is similar to snooping, but generally applies to much more serious situations, like when countries or businesses spy on each other to try to obtain top secret information.
Vocabulary lists containing espionage
Vocabulary from the Third and Final Presidential Debate, October 19, 2016
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Farewell to Manzanar
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World War I
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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.
Bolton’s case added to the Justice Department’s history prosecuting the alleged mishandling or sharing of sensitive national-security information, under a 1917 law called the Espionage Act.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 26, 2026
The American journalist "gathered intelligence on his American targets and reported it back to his Chinese intelligence handlers," said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI's Counterintelligence and Espionage Division.
From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026
Espionage accusations between the two countries date back far further than the Ukraine offensive.
From Barron's • Jan. 15, 2026
Bolton’s case builds on the Justice Department’s extensive history prosecuting the alleged mishandling or sharing of sensitive national security information, under a 1917 law called the Espionage Act.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 17, 2025
The courtroom was crowded, largely with antiwar protestors who hissed as the government lawyers argued that the Times was violating the Espionage Act.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" 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.
