counterintelligence

noun

coun·​ter·​in·​tel·​li·​gence ˌkau̇n-tər-in-ˈte-lə-jən(t)s 

: organized activity of an intelligence service designed to block an enemy's sources of information, to deceive the enemy, to prevent sabotage, and to gather political and military information

Examples of counterintelligence in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Maintained by the Department of Energy’s counterintelligence unit, the Sensitive Country List includes nuclear states such as India and Russia as well as countries deemed to be sponsors of terrorism, such as North Korea or Iran. —Max Kim, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2025

The army’s investigation and a parallel one by the Shin Bet counterintelligence agency lay out those bodies’ mistakes. —Gershom Gorenberg, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2025

Dennehy is a Marine veteran who joined the bureau in 2002 in the aftermath of 9/11 and worked on counterintelligence cases in New York. —Ashley Oliver, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 4 Mar. 2025

This deviation from past practice has created a new kind of counterintelligence predicament, officials and experts have told me. —Shane Harris, The Atlantic, 12 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1940, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for counterintelligence

• intelligence

Kids Definition

counterintelligence

noun

coun·​ter·​in·​tel·​li·​gence ˌkau̇nt-ə-rin-ˈtel-ə-jən(t)s 

: activities of an intelligence service meant to hide the truth from an enemy or to prevent the enemy from learning secret information