espionage
noun
-ˌnäj ,
-nij ,
Canadian also
-ˌnazh ;
ˌe-spē-ə-ˈnäzh ;
i-ˈspē-ə-nij
\
Definition of espionage
: 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
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Examples of espionage in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Just last year, WikiLeaks published a huge cache of the CIA’s hacking arsenal the agency uses to conduct espionage overseas. — Derek Hawkins, Washington Post, "The Cybersecurity 202: Spyware theft case offers a cautionary tale for encryption debate," 6 July 2018 Huajian has dismissed those allegations as false and said the men were conducting industrial espionage. — Erika Kinetz, chicagotribune.com, "Men who investigated Ivanka Trump's China shoe suppliers released on bail," 26 June 2018 The charges come less than a month after a former Central Intelligence Agency officer suspected of helping China unravel the agency’s spy network in that country was indicted on a charge of conspiring to commit espionage. — Mike Ives, New York Times, "U.S. Army Veteran Tried to Spy for China, Officials Say," 5 June 2018 The charges come less than a month after a former CIA officer suspected of helping China unravel the agency’s spy network in that country was indicted on a charge of conspiring to commit espionage. — Mike Ives, BostonGlobe.com, "US Army veteran tried to spy for China, officials say," 5 June 2018 Earlier this month, Jerry Lee, a former CIA case officer believed to have helped China identify and kill members of the US spy network in the country, pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit espionage. — David Shortell, CNN, "Trial begins for former CIA officer accused of spying for China," 30 May 2018 But under questioning by Democrat Ron Wyden of Oregon, Evanina said U.S. intelligence agencies are on record as assessing that Chinese telecommunication firms are used as a vehicle by the Chinese government to conduct espionage. — Ken Dilanian /, NBC News, "Top intelligence official says Chinese ZTE cellphones pose security risk to U.S.," 15 May 2018 Hanssen was arrested and charged on Feb. 18, 2001 with committing espionage on behalf of the intelligence services of the former Soviet Union and its successors, according to the FBI's website. — CBS News, "U.S. indicts ex-CIA officer suspected of passing info to Chinese agents," 9 May 2018 The 1967-68 season was full of westerns (a surprising lot of them), quasi-westerns, World War II dramas, cop and lawyer shows, a little espionage, a little sci-fi. — Robert Lloyd, latimes.com, "Watching 'The Smothers Brothers,' 'Laugh-In' and the Democratic National Convention," 20 Apr. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'espionage.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for espionage
espionage
noun
English Language Learners Definition of espionage
: the things that are done to find out secrets from enemies or competitors : the activity of spying
See the full definition for espionage in the English Language Learners Dictionary
espionage
noun
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Kids Definition of espionage
: the practice of spying : the use of spies
espionage
noun
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Legal Definition of espionage
: 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
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