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

• 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

Season 2 offers a number of thrilling episodes built on action and espionage. —Ben Travers, IndieWire, 21 Apr. 2025

Academy Award-winning Steven Soderbergh recently reflected on his latest project, the buzzy and well-reviewed espionage thriller Black Bag, lamenting the dissonance between its critical success versus its lackluster draw at the box office. —Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 19 Apr. 2025

The case is the latest in a string of espionage probes as Taiwan seeks to intensify counterintelligence operations. —Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Apr. 2025

After years of being accused by Western governments of cyberattacks and industrial espionage, in the past two years several Chinese organisations and government organs have accused the United States and its allies of similar behaviour. —Laurie Chen, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2025

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