espionage

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

/ ˈɛs pi əˌnɑʒ, -nɪdʒ, ˌɛs pi əˈnɑʒ /

SEE MORE 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.

Nearby words

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

Related formsnon·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

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Nearby words

Origin of espionage

Examples from the Web for espionage

British Dictionary definitions for espionage

espionage

noun

Word Origin for espionage