espionage

noun

es·​pi·​o·​nage ˈe-spē-ə-ˌnäzh  -ˌnäj 

-nij

Canadian also -ˌnazh;

ˌe-spē-ə-ˈnäzh;

i-ˈspē-ə-nij

: the practice of spying or using spies to obtain information about the plans and activities especially of a foreign government or a competing company

industrial espionage

Synonyms of espionage

• spying

Examples of espionage in a Sentence

He was charged with several counts of espionage.

the acts of espionage on behalf of the Confederacy carried on by Belle Boyd and Rose Greenhow

Recent Examples on the Web

In response, the Hungarian government said some of the individuals involved were linked to Ukrainian intelligence, and separately accused a Direkt36 journalist of espionage. —Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026

Her best songs are her witty tales of romantic espionage in London after dark. —Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 27 Mar. 2026

According to an alert issued by FBI in August 2025, Dragonfly is a cybersecurity cluster associated with FSB Center 16 unit, a key unit within Russia’s Federal Security Service responsible for signals intelligence, electronic espionage and cyber operations. —ABC News, 24 Mar. 2026

Even if a person’s behavior smacked of espionage, the officer’s only recourse was to provide a free ride and a Slurpee. —Adam Ciralsky, Vanity Fair, 19 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French espionnage, from Middle French, from espionner to spy, from espion spy, from Old Italian spione, from spia, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German spehōn to spy — more at spy

First Known Use

1793, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

espionage

noun

es·​pi·​o·​nage ˈes-pē-ə-ˌnäzh  -näj 

-ˌnij

: the practice of spying : the use of spies

Legal Definition

espionage

noun

es·​pi·​o·​nage ˈes-pē-ə-ˌnäzh, -ˌnäj, -nij 

: the practice of gathering, transmitting, or losing through gross negligence information relating to the defense of the U.S. with the intent that or with reason to believe that the information will be used to the injury of the U.S. or the advantage of a foreign nation