industrial espionage

American  

noun

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

---

industrial espionage British  

noun

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

---

Etymology

Origin of industrial espionage

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

industrial espionage

Illicit distillation "is IP theft and industrial espionage" and "a national challenge that creates serious national security risks for the United States and democratic allies," Sarah Heck, Anthropic's head of public policy, said on X.

From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026

Pangaea Policy’s Haines also said the talk about Chinese hacking “won’t surprise anyone in markets who follows China industrial espionage issues.”

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026

The report even suggests a unique identifier could be added to each chip to prevent industrial espionage and "chip smuggling."

From Science Daily ● Feb. 15, 2024

He is the first person to be charged under federal laws created in 2018 that ban covert foreign interference in domestic politics and make industrial espionage for a foreign power a crime.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 17, 2023

When Quillan had last met Reetal Destone, a year and a half before, the taste was being satisfied in industrial espionage.

From Lion Loose by Schmitz, James H.