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counterespionage

American

[koun-ter-es-pee-uh-nahzh, -nij] / ˌkaʊn tərˈɛs pi əˌnɑʒ, -nɪdʒ /

noun

the detection and frustration of enemy espionage.

counterespionage British

/ 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

Etymology

Origin of counterespionage

First recorded in 1895–1900; counter- + espionage

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.

The employee filed the complaint with the division director, Robert Turner, a 22-year veteran of the bureau who previously held roles in counterterrorism and counterespionage.

From Salon • Nov. 18, 2025

Instead, they had dumped him at the so-called Russia Squad in L.A., a counterespionage unit meant to combat Soviet spying.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2025

Changes to China’s counterespionage laws have also broadened the law’s already sweeping definition of what constitutes spying.

From New York Times • Jan. 8, 2024

FBI Director Christopher Wray said this week that the bureau is using artificial intelligence to boost its counterespionage efforts against Chinese hackers.

From Washington Times • Sep. 20, 2023

The Agency had launched the most difficult kind of counterespionage campaign: the mole hunt.

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