counterintelligence

[ koun-ter-in-tel-i-juhns ]

/ ˌkaʊn tər ɪnˈtɛl ɪ dʒəns /

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noun

the activity of an intelligence service employed in thwarting the efforts of an enemy's intelligence agents to gather information or commit sabotage. Abbreviation: CI

an organization engaged in counterintelligence. Abbreviation: CI

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Origin of counterintelligence

First recorded in 1935–40; counter- + intelligence

Words nearby counterintelligence

counterfort, counterglow, counterimmunoelectrophoresis, counterincision, counterinsurgency, counterintelligence, counterintuition, counterintuitive, counter-ion, counterirritant, counterirritation

How to use counterintelligence in a sentence

Prosecutors did not charge or identify them, as often happens in counterintelligence cases for strategic and diplomatic reasons.
Operation Fox Hunt: How China Exports Repression Using a Network of Spies Hidden in Plain Sight|by Sebastian Rotella and Kirsten Berg|July 22, 2021|ProPublica
They take the fight to the enemy with both counterintelligence and advanced fighting skills, a rare combination for modern warriors.
The Untold Story of a Secret Unit of Heroic Jewish Commandos in World War II|Leah Garrett|June 21, 2021|Time
It also found that the threshold for starting a counterintelligence investigation was rather low.
Pence’s allegations about Hillary Clinton: A guide for the perplexed|Glenn Kessler|October 9, 2020|Washington Post
Rõivas called the kidnapping of a counterintelligence official a serious crime “unacceptable to any Estonian.”
Russia Steps Up Pressure on the Baltics|Will Cathcart|September 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST

“I have been a counterintelligence officer,” Alasania told The Daily Beast.
Georgian Opposition Says the Country's Democracy Is Slipping|Eli Lake|December 4, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Far from it, said David G. Major, the retired FBI counterintelligence agent.
Inside the FBI's Bid to Flip a Russian Spy|Philip Shenon|July 12, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Few of the people in MI6 or MI5, the counterintelligence service, would divulge anything at all.
The Charmed Life of a Traitor|Harold Evans|November 6, 2009|DAILY BEAST
The job of a counterintelligence officer and a field agent working for the CIA or the MI-6, their job is not to tell the truth.
The Twisted Mind Behind Julia|Kara Cutruzzula|March 21, 2009|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for counterintelligence

counterintelligence

/ (ˌkaʊntərɪnˈtɛlɪdʒəns) /

noun

activities designed to frustrate enemy espionage

intelligence collected about 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