espionage

American  

[es-pee-uh-nahzh, -nij, es-pee-uh-nahzh] / ˈɛs pi əˌnɑʒ, -nɪdʒ, ˌɛs pi əˈnɑʒ /

noun

1. the act or practice of spying.

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

3. 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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espionage British  

/ ˌɛspɪəˈnɑːʒ, ˈɛspɪəˌnɑːʒ, ˈɛspɪənɪdʒ /

noun

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

2. the act or practice of spying

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Other Word Forms

• nonespionage noun

Etymology

Origin of espionage

First recorded in 1785–95; from French espionnage, Middle French espionage, from espionn(er) “to spy” (derivative of espion “a spy,” from Italian spione, from Germanic ) + -age -age; espy

Example Sentences

Some of the cases related to serving as an unregistered foreign agent, a charge Bondi ordered prosecutors to stop pursuing unless they involved “conduct similar to more traditional espionage by foreign government actors.”

From Salon • Apr. 1, 2026

Moscow and London have each expelled multiple embassy staff over the last decade, trading accusations of espionage.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

The couple were detained in Iran on charges of espionage – something the family denies.

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026

“It’s begun,” said the British mother of two, arrested a year ago on a motorcycle trip with her husband for espionage charges she denies.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

East Germany's master spy built the largest espionage network in the entire world, recruiting thousands of spies, informers, and watchers.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

Related Words

• intelligence