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espionage
[ es-pee-uh-nahzh, -nij, es-pee-uh-nahzh ]
/ ˈɛs pi əˌnɑʒ, -nɪdʒ, ˌɛs pi əˈnɑʒ /
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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.
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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, nounWords nearby espionage
especial, especially, esperance, Esperanto, espial, espionage, Espírito Santo, Espíritu Santo, esplanade, esplees, ESPN
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use espionage in a sentence
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
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