espionage
noun
es·pi·o·nage
ˈe-spē-ə-ˌnäzh 
-ˌnäj
-ˌnäj
-nij,
Canadian also -ˌnazh;
ˌe-spē-ə-ˈnäzh;
i-ˈspē-ə-nij
: 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
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 on the Web
The Amateur stars Rami Malek and Laurence Fishburne, along with director James Hawes, are ready to get back in the field and turn their espionage thriller into a franchise.
—
Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 11 Apr. 2025
Recent news reports suggesting the bureau's new leadership may be redirecting investigative resources from traditional priorities to immigration enforcement raises further concerns about whether the U.S. can keep pace with China's sprawling espionage operations.
—David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Apr. 2025
The romantic spy comedy, written by and starring actor-singer-songwriter Jillie Simon and co-directed by her and Thomas Simon, blends espionage with music in a story following activist and lead singer Elli DeCosta.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 9 Apr. 2025
Detaching the military command could unleash its operatives for more offensive cyber strikes against foreign adversaries — and also risk crippling the country's own espionage efforts.
—Sam Sabin, Axios, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for espionage
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Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 11 Apr. 2025
Recent news reports suggesting the bureau's new leadership may be redirecting investigative resources from traditional priorities to immigration enforcement raises further concerns about whether the U.S. can keep pace with China's sprawling espionage operations.
—David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Apr. 2025
The romantic spy comedy, written by and starring actor-singer-songwriter Jillie Simon and co-directed by her and Thomas Simon, blends espionage with music in a story following activist and lead singer Elli DeCosta.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 9 Apr. 2025
Detaching the military command could unleash its operatives for more offensive cyber strikes against foreign adversaries — and also risk crippling the country's own espionage efforts.
—Sam Sabin, Axios, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for espionage
Cite this Entry
“Espionage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/espionage. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
espionage
noun
es·pi·o·nage
ˈes-pē-ə-ˌnäzh
-näj
-näj
-ˌnij
: the practice of spying : the use of spies
Legal Definition
espionage
noun
es·pi·o·nage
ˈes-pē-ə-ˌnäzh, -ˌnäj, -nij
: 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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