definitions

industrial espionage

noun

the stealing of technological or commercial research data, blueprints, plans, etc., as by a person in the hire of a competing company.

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Nearby words

industrial design, industrial development certificate, industrial diamond, industrial disease, industrial engineering, industrial espionage, industrial estate, industrial insurance, industrial life insurance, industrial medicine, industrial melanism

Origin of industrial espionage

First recorded in 1960–65
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for industrial espionage

industrial espionage

noun

attempting to obtain trade secrets by dishonest means, as by telephone- or computer-tapping, infiltration of a competitor's workforce, etc
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