: 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
noun
es·pi·o·nage
\
ˈe-spē-ə-ˌnäzh
,
-ˌnäj
,
-nij
,
Canadian also
-ˌnazh
;
ˌe-spē-ə-ˈnäzh
;
i-ˈspē-ə-nij
\
Updated on: 7 Jul 2018
- Trending Now: More Trending:
- socialism uphold due process asylum insubordinate
- ALL
What's Trending Now
More Trending Words
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 of espionage from the Web
-
The two bills covering foreign interference, espionage and influence transparency have been criticized as criminalizing dissent.
-
The two bills covering foreign interference, espionage and influence transparency have been criticized as criminalizing dissent.
-
The two bills covering foreign interference, espionage and influence transparency have been criticized as criminalizing dissent.
-
Watkins covered national security and law enforcement for Politico, including topics relating to China, international espionage and Cuba.
-
Here's a look at the three Americans, who were held by North Korea for alleged subversion, espionage and other unspecified hostile acts.
-
The researchers behind the tech have ideas for its application beyond the obvious use in espionage and assorted sneakiness.
-
Because of the palpable sensitivity involved, there is often an energetic effort to plead espionage cases out at an early stage, on a very bare-bones criminal information (which the prosecutor files if the defendant waives grand-jury indictment).
-
After working for the American Army of Occupation in Wiesbaden, he was accused of espionage by the Soviet authorities, and sentenced, along with his brother, to twenty-five years in a labor camp.
These 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.
espionage Synonyms
Synonyms
Related Words
counterespionage, counterintelligence, intelligence;
Other Government and Politics Terms
ESPIONAGE Defined for English Language Learners
-
: the things that are done to find out secrets from enemies or competitors : the activity of spying
ESPIONAGE Defined for Kids
: the practice of spying : the use of spies
Law Dictionary
: 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
Learn More about espionage
-
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for espionage Spanish Central: Translation of espionage Nglish: Translation of espionage for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of espionage for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about espionage
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up espionage? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
