espionage
[ es-pee-uh-nahzh, -nij, es-pee-uh-nahzh ]
/ ˈɛs pi əˌnɑʒ, -nɪdʒ, ˌɛs pi əˈnɑʒ /
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.
QUIZZES
IT’S A WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ BONANZA!
This windfall of words will make you rich with knowledge. Mine your memory on the words from July 27 to August 2!
Question 1 of 7
What does "scattergood" mean?
a person who acts as though he or she knows everything and who dismisses the opinions, comments, or suggestions of others.
a person who spends possessions or money extravagantly or wastefully; spendthrift.
a well-intentioned but naive and often ineffectual social or political reformer.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUTOrigin 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. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for espionage
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