tradecraft

noun

trade·​craft ˈtrād-ˌkraft How to pronounce tradecraft (audio)
: the techniques and procedures of espionage

Examples of tradecraft in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Despite the tradecraft lapses, Cherkasov made remarkably swift progress toward his goal of infiltrating Western institutions. Greg Miller, Anchorage Daily News, 29 Mar. 2023 Chief among these were the wives of male agents, who often served alongside their husbands, receiving tradecraft training but little to none of the pay. TIME, 18 Oct. 2023 Based on similar language and specific email tradecraft, the FBI has concluded the perpetrators of these threats are connected, the email said, and the threats appear to be originating from outside the United States. NBC News, 20 Dec. 2023 The picture conveys Frank’s uncanny skill at blending with his surroundings, a form of tradecraft that enabled him to photograph strangers up close, unposed and uninhibited. Nicholas Dawidoff, The New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2023 In one case, the people said, Eisenberg told agents that agencies quickly reviewed an image of an Iranian missile on a launchpad - a picture from a top-secret document - and removed identification markings and other tradecraft clues so that Trump could tweet it. Carol D. Leonnig, Devlin Barrett, Josh Dawsey, Anchorage Daily News, 4 Nov. 2022 The spectacular manner in which Prigozhin apparently was killed appears to mark a ruthless escalation of Putin-era tradecraft, according to Western intelligence officials and Russia experts. Greg Miller, Washington Post, 24 Aug. 2023 People close to Gagosian have sometimes been taken aback by his cloak-and-dagger tradecraft. Patrick Radden Keefe, The New Yorker, 24 July 2023 Determining where to dig appears to be as much experience and tradecraft as anything. Chris Bieri, Anchorage Daily News, 4 July 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tradecraft.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1961, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tradecraft was in 1961

Dictionary Entries Near tradecraft

Cite this Entry

“Tradecraft.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tradecraft. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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