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.
Holden Triplett, who served as Trump’s counterintelligence director on the National Security Council during his first term, said Russian intelligence frequently seeks to build ties with U.S. government officials and their family members.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
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
The number of FBI employees working in counterterrorism and counterintelligence continues to fall.
From Slate ● Apr. 21, 2026
It calls for a mandatory registration system for foreign agents -- such as individuals and corporations lobbying within Japan on behalf of other governments -- as part of counterintelligence measures.
From Barron's ● Feb. 27, 2026
Gardner "Gus" Hathaway had only recently become director of counterintelligence, having taken over the post once occupied by the notoriously paranoid James Jesus Angleton.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
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.
