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espionage
noun
es·pi·o·nage
ˈe-spē-ə-ˌnäzh
-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
At the other end of the scale, according to Orange’s research, residential proxy networks have broadly been used for cyber espionage by Russian hackers, in social engineering efforts, as part of DDoS attacks, phishing, botnets, and more.
—Matt Burgess, WIRED, 19 Dec. 2024
These vulnerabilities create backdoors that could be leveraged by malicious actors for espionage, data theft or infrastructure disruption.
—Lars Daniel, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
His arrest came as part of an effort to cut down espionage, sabotage and collusion in the aftermath of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Dec. 2024
Iranian tactics Iran and Israel have been waging a shadow espionage war for decades, using spies and informants to gather intelligence to carry out attacks against each other.
—Zeena Saifi, CNN, 13 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for espionage
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Word History
Dictionary Entries Near espionage
Cite this Entry
“Espionage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/espionage. Accessed 25 Dec. 2024.
Kids Definition
espionage
noun
es·pi·o·nage
ˈes-pē-ə-ˌnäzh
-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
More from Merriam-Webster on espionage
Nglish: Translation of espionage for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of espionage for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about espionage
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