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

China is deploying market access to steal intellectual property, monitor Americans and conduct economic espionage. — Ritchie Torres, Washington Post, 29 June 2026

The result was one of the director’s greatest films, an espionage thriller and romance that incorporated his most personal concerns while still delivering the goods as a mainstream suspense picture. — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 26 June 2026

Its scale and isolation created an inherently dramatic setting, later intensified by wartime stories involving espionage, gold and goods passing between neutral Spain and occupied Europe. — David Hochman, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026

Peacock has opted not to renew its 1970s espionage thriller Ponies, starring Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson, for a second season. — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 23 June 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