espionage

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

/ ˈɛs pi əˌnɑʒ, -nɪdʒ, ˌɛs pi əˈnɑʒ /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR espionage ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act or practice of spying.

the use of spies by a government to discover the military and political secrets of other nations.

the use of spies by a corporation or the like to acquire the plans, technical knowledge, etc., of a competitor: industrial espionage.

Words nearby espionage

especial, especially, esperance, esperanto, espial, espionage, esplanade, esplees, espn, espoo, esports

Origin of espionage

1785–95; < French espionnage, Middle French espionage, equivalent to espionn(er) to spy (derivative of espion spy < Italian spione < Germanic; akin to German spähen to look out) + -age -age

OTHER WORDS FROM espionage

non·es·pi·o·nage, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for espionage

That is why I visited my relatives in Iran in 2011, when I was unjustly arrested and charged with espionage.
An American Marine in Iran’s Prisons Goes on Hunger Strike|IranWire|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In 2011, he was arrested while visiting his grandmother in Iran, charged with espionage, and sentenced to death.
An American Marine in Iran’s Prisons Goes on Hunger Strike|IranWire|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The crime-fighting penguins, says the trailer, are “masters of the skies, espionage, and aerial assault.”
Lovable ‘Madagascar’ Penguins Are Known to Rape and Torture in Real Life|Asawin Suebsaeng|November 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Whatever skills it takes to succeed in espionage or racketeering, I patently lack.
Vaccines Are Poison, Cellphones Cause Cancer, and Other Medical Conspiracies|Russell Saunders|July 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST

This official declined to discuss the details of the current espionage case that is roiling the German government today.
One Big Reason The CIA Spied on Germany: Worries About Russian Moles in Berlin|Eli Lake|July 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The dwelling-house of a royal councillor is exempt from any espionage in the Naya's cause.
The Great White Queen|William Le Queux
There is no offence more serious than espionage in time of war, and by every rule of war he was a spy.
The Boy Scouts In Russia|John Blaine
He did not live, like the students of some religious seminaries, under constant surveillance and espionage.
The Real Shelley, Vol. I (of 2)|John Cordy Jeaffreson
To this espionage we are indebted for some edifying details of Hawthorne's sojourn in upper Berkshire.
Literary Shrines|Theodore F. Wolfe
Miss Farrel might as well have been under the espionage of a private detective as with Miss Hart.
The Shoulders of Atlas|Mary E. Wilkins Freeman

British Dictionary definitions for espionage

espionage

/ (ˈɛspɪəˌnɑːʒ, ˌɛspɪəˈnɑːʒ, ˈɛspɪənɪdʒ) /

noun

the systematic use of spies to obtain secret information, esp by governments to discover military or political secrets

the act or practice of spying

Word Origin for espionage

C18: from French espionnage, from espionner to spy, from espion spy, from Old Italian spione, of Germanic origin; compare German spähen to spy

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

espionage

noun

Content related to espionage

Words related to espionage

Words nearby espionage

Origin of espionage

OTHER WORDS FROM espionage

Examples from the Web for espionage

British Dictionary definitions for espionage

noun

Word Origin for espionage