counterespionage
noun
coun·ter·es·pi·o·nage
ˌkau̇n-tər-ˈe-spē-ə-ˌnäzh 
-ˌnäj,
-nij,
Canadian also -ˌnazh;
-ˌe-spē-ə-ˈnäzh;
-ə-ˈspē-ə-nij
: the activity concerned with detecting and thwarting enemy espionage
Examples of counterespionage in a Sentence
He was involved in counterespionage against Germany in World War II.
Recent Examples on the Web
After the 9/11 attacks and the rise of Islamist terrorism, ASIO ran down its counterespionage capabilities in favor of counterterrorism.
—
Clive Hamilton, Foreign Affairs, 26 July 2018
Xi's harsh covid-19 lockdowns brought significant swaths of the Chinese economy to a standstill in 2022, and his officials have raided foreign companies in apparent counterespionage investigations.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 8 Feb. 2024
In the name of national security, China earlier this month called on its citizens to participate in counterespionage work, following an expansion of its anti-spying law in July, alarming the United States.
—Reuters, NBC News, 11 Aug. 2023
Beijing saw it as meddling by a foreign government, heightening tensions following Australia’s ban on Huawei Technologies Co. and ZTE Corp. from its next-generation 5G mobile network and a tightening of counterespionage safeguards to criminalize foreign meddling in domestic politics.
—Rhiannon Hoyle, WSJ, 8 Dec. 2021
See all Example Sentences for counterespionage 
Clive Hamilton, Foreign Affairs, 26 July 2018
Xi's harsh covid-19 lockdowns brought significant swaths of the Chinese economy to a standstill in 2022, and his officials have raided foreign companies in apparent counterespionage investigations.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 8 Feb. 2024
In the name of national security, China earlier this month called on its citizens to participate in counterespionage work, following an expansion of its anti-spying law in July, alarming the United States.
—Reuters, NBC News, 11 Aug. 2023
Beijing saw it as meddling by a foreign government, heightening tensions following Australia’s ban on Huawei Technologies Co. and ZTE Corp. from its next-generation 5G mobile network and a tightening of counterespionage safeguards to criminalize foreign meddling in domestic politics.
—Rhiannon Hoyle, WSJ, 8 Dec. 2021
See all Example Sentences for counterespionage
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'counterespionage.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Counterespionage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/counterespionage. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.
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