counterintelligence
noun
coun·ter·in·tel·li·gence
ˌkau̇n-tər-in-ˈte-lə-jən(t)s 
: organized activity of an intelligence service designed to block an enemy's sources of information, to deceive the enemy, to prevent sabotage, and to gather political and military information
Examples of counterintelligence in a Sentence
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The Attorney General is often required to make decisions, with high stakes and on short notice, on an array of difficult matters, from blocking mergers to approving counterintelligence investigations to appealing cases to the Supreme Court.
—
Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025
Wei, who had received Naval counterintelligence and insider threat training just days earlier, strongly suspected that his new social media acquaintance was a Chinese spy, prosecutors said.
—Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Aug. 2025
The reassignments have sparked internal frustration, as agents from counterintelligence and public corruption units are diverted from their core investigative roles.
—Amanda Castro
hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Aug. 2025
The Ministries of Defense in Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, and Syria also use them, as do the Polish military counterintelligence agency, the Finnish defense forces, and Lebanon and Saudi Arabia’s intelligence services.
—Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 9 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for counterintelligence
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Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025
Wei, who had received Naval counterintelligence and insider threat training just days earlier, strongly suspected that his new social media acquaintance was a Chinese spy, prosecutors said.
—Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Aug. 2025
The reassignments have sparked internal frustration, as agents from counterintelligence and public corruption units are diverted from their core investigative roles.
—Amanda Castro
hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Aug. 2025
The Ministries of Defense in Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, and Syria also use them, as do the Polish military counterintelligence agency, the Finnish defense forces, and Lebanon and Saudi Arabia’s intelligence services.
—Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 9 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for counterintelligence
Cite this Entry
“Counterintelligence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/counterintelligence. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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counterintelligence
noun
coun·ter·in·tel·li·gence
ˌkau̇nt-ə-rin-ˈtel-ə-jən(t)s
: activities of an intelligence service meant to hide the truth from an enemy or to prevent the enemy from learning secret information
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