espionage

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

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.

espionage

/ 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

Other Words From

• non·espi·o·nage noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of espionage¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of espionage¹

C18: from French espionnage, from espionner to spy, from espion spy, from Old Italian spione, of Germanic origin; compare German spähen to spy

Example Sentences

Tortured and accused of bizarre espionage plots, he was ultimately executed by firing squad.

From Salon

“Not only was it espionage, but there were stunts,” she says.

From Los Angeles Times

Mr Jahangir said the three people were accused of “committing espionage for the occupying regime of Israel” and “transporting equipment into Iran for the assassination of martyr Fakhrizadeh under the guise of smuggling alcoholic beverages”.

From BBC

Law enforcement is currently treating the hack as an act of espionage, not as an attempt at campaign influence, one source told CBS.

From BBC

It has a range of them, for surveillance and espionage, to issue orders through loudspeakers, for dropping bombs or firing at Palestinians they want to kill.

From BBC

Related Words

• intelligence