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

Schumer's bill, the Operational Security (OPSEC) Act of 2025, would establish a new office to train administration officials in security protocols and to identify counterintelligence operations. —Stephen Neukam, Axios, 2 Apr. 2025

And in an era of rampant counterintelligence programs conducted on anti-war and hippie movements, where did the FBI fit into all this? —Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 10 Mar. 2025

Experts say this is a potentially serious counterintelligence problem that could allow foreign intelligence services to gain insight into a target’s social network or even identify individuals who could be paid or coerced to act against them. —Dhruv Mehrotra, Wired News, 27 Mar. 2025

Officials said Monday that the country will tighten its counterintelligence framework and expand cooperation with European counterparts as threats from Russian hybrid tactics grow more sophisticated. —Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Mar. 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