double agent

noun

: a spy pretending to serve one government while actually serving another

Examples of double agent in a Sentence

He was secretly working as a double agent for the Americans during the war.
Recent Examples on the Web In 2018, former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned in the U.K. with a nerve agent believed to be the same Novichok poison later used on Navalny. Yuliya Talmazan, NBC News, 16 Feb. 2024 In the last episode Varma and Jaffrey will be joined by the relative of a real-life spy, Charlotte Philby, whose grandfather was Soviet double agent Kim Philby. K.j. Yossman, Variety, 15 Feb. 2024 Both are seemingly amusing characters who give texture to Beck’s life beyond the job yet have serious roles to play in catching Atterbury’s killer, identifying the elusive double agent — and no doubt setting up their parts in future books. Paula L. Woods, Los Angeles Times, 18 July 2023 The countess was a double agent The countess Buchanan-Dineen was born in Canada in 1909 and educated in a French convent. Jack Kresnak, Detroit Free Press, 21 Jan. 2024 After his betrayal is uncovered at the height of the Cold War, Kim becomes the most notorious British defector and Soviet double agent in history. Nick Romano, EW.com, 1 Feb. 2023 Sergei Skripal In 2018, a Russian former double agent, Sergei Skripal, and his adult daughter Yulia were found slumped on a park bench in a town in the south of England. Miriam Berger, Washington Post, 24 Aug. 2023 All the while, power players lurked in the shadows hatching schemes to take each other – from double agents like Shanti (Adrienne Walker) and Jenard to the federal agents in the Stacy Marks task force. Breanna Bell, Variety, 11 Nov. 2023 Cruise dangles from a helicopter and does a HALO jump from 25,000 feet in the air, Ethan's ex Julia comes back into the picture, Ilsa is more awesome than usual, and a mustached, muscular Cavill plays a double agent no one would want to stare down. Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 12 July 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'double agent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1935, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of double agent was in 1935

Dictionary Entries Near double agent

Cite this Entry

“Double agent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/double%20agent. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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