tradecraft

noun

trade·​craft ˈtrād-ˌkraft 

: the techniques and procedures of espionage

Examples of tradecraft in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Earlier Justice Department investigations into the memo challenged the analytical tradecraft but did not find intentional misconduct by the analysts involved. — Eric Tucker, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2026

Nemes does not give us any time to figure out who’s who and, really, what’s happening, but watching all this furtive tradecraft is compelling enough. — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 17 May 2026

She’s never worked in intelligence, carried a badge, or been taught tradecraft. — Adam Ciralsky, Vanity Fair, 19 Mar. 2026

Dozens of senior Iranian officials and commanders — chief among them Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country’s longtime supreme leader — have been killed, a consequence of superior U.S. and Israeli intelligence as well as shoddy Iranian tradecraft. — Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1961, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for tradecraft

• allograft
• autograft
• autographed
• countershaft
• handicraft
• homograft
• hovercraft
• lithographed
• overdraft
• photographed
• rotorcraft
• telegraphed