espionage
Americannoun
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the act or practice of spying.
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the use of spies by a government to discover the military and political secrets of other nations.
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the use of spies by a corporation or the like to acquire the plans, technical knowledge, etc., of a competitor.
industrial espionage.
noun
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the systematic use of spies to obtain secret information, esp by governments to discover military or political secrets
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the act or practice of spying
Other Word Forms
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; see espy
Explanation
It's no secret: espionage is the act of organized spying, usually with the goal of uncovering sensitive military or political information. If the government has relocated you to a foreign country, made you change your name, given you a fake mustache to wear, and instructed you to hide in a closet at the presidential palace and report back weekly on what you overhear, then you are engaging in espionage. This noun is similar to snooping, but generally applies to much more serious situations, like when countries or businesses spy on each other to try to obtain top secret information.
Vocabulary lists containing espionage
Vocabulary from the Third and Final Presidential Debate, October 19, 2016
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Farewell to Manzanar
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World War I
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The case highlights a paradox: while Europe's armies are bolstering their protection against espionage and hybrid threats, the vehicles they use can collect sensitive information.
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026
Tokyo said Wednesday it had urged Moscow to ensure "fair and impartial treatment" of a Japanese journalist who was arrested by Russia on suspicion of espionage.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
The arrest of former German spy chief August Hanning on suspicion of espionage threatens to complicate a planned overhaul of the BND.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
The security talks also come in a week when questions have been raised about Germany's reliability as an intelligence partner, following the bombshell arrest of a former spy chief on suspicion of espionage.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
Kaz didn’t know anything about espionage or government squabbles, but why should stealing Bo Yul-Bayur from the Ice Court be any different from liberating valuables from a mercher’s safe?
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
