counterespionage

[ koun-ter-es-pee-uh-nahzh, -nij ]

/ ˌkaʊn tərˈɛs pi əˌnɑʒ, -nɪdʒ /

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noun

the detection and frustration of enemy espionage.

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Origin of counterespionage

First recorded in 1895–1900; counter- + espionage

Words nearby counterespionage

countercurrent, countercyclical, counterearth, countereconomy, counter electromotive force, counterespionage, counterexample, counterfactual, counterfeit, counterfoil, counterforce

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use counterespionage in a sentence

They don't bother much with counterespionage, here, but they don't fool when it comes to countersabotage.
Day of the Moron|Henry Beam Piper
All thought of functioning in counterespionage against the Russians had moved into the back of his mind.
Ten From Infinity|Paul W. Fairman
Allow me to introduce one of America's most effective counterespionage agents, Mr. Samson Narko!
Tom Swift and The Visitor from Planet X|Victor Appleton
One of the counterespionage sections was specialized and had only a responsibility for eliminating underground organizations.
Area Handbook for Albania|Eugene K. Keefe

Your Society is the most efficient espionage and counterespionage group in history, as far as I know.
Fifty Per Cent Prophet|Gordon Randall Garrett

British Dictionary definitions for counterespionage

counterespionage

/ (ˌkaʊntərˈɛspɪəˌnɑːʒ) /

noun

activities designed to detect and counteract enemy espionage

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012