counterintelligence

noun

coun·​ter·​in·​tel·​li·​gence ˌkau̇n-tər-in-ˈte-lə-jən(t)s How to pronounce counterintelligence (audio)
: organized activity of an intelligence service designed to block an enemy's sources of information, to deceive the enemy, to prevent sabotage, and to gather political and military information

Examples of counterintelligence in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Our counterintelligence operations remain focused, vigilant, and relentless. Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2025 But after this conflict, with a heightened sense of insecurity, Iran’s counterintelligence operatives will be on particularly high alert. Richard Nephew, Foreign Affairs, 26 June 2025 The timing has transformed what might have been a routine budget hearing into a debate over national security priorities, with lawmakers arguing that cuts to counterterrorism, counterintelligence and threat screening programs could leave the nation vulnerable. Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 June 2025 Ernesto Borges Pérez, a former Cuban counterintelligence officer who served 27 years in prison after he was convicted of spying for the U.S., was released Thursday from the high-security Combinado del Este prison in Havana. Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 25 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for counterintelligence

Word History

First Known Use

1940, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of counterintelligence was in 1940

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Cite this Entry

“Counterintelligence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/counterintelligence. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

counterintelligence

noun
coun·​ter·​in·​tel·​li·​gence ˌkau̇nt-ə-rin-ˈtel-ə-jən(t)s How to pronounce counterintelligence (audio)
: activities of an intelligence service meant to hide the truth from an enemy or to prevent the enemy from learning secret information

More from Merriam-Webster on counterintelligence

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