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
Kuragin has pulled off a feat of corporate espionage, having learned of Walt’s team’s discovery on Titan, and is planning to launch a mission of its own in just six weeks.
—
Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2026
Just two months ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered that the citizenship of Israelis convicted of espionage for Iran be stripped of their citizenship.
—Elaine Mallon, FOXNews.com, 9 Apr. 2026
The Russian military is once again hacking home and small office routers in widespread operations that send unwitting users to sites that harvest passwords and credential tokens for use in espionage campaigns, researchers said Tuesday.
—Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 8 Apr. 2026
After more than three years imprisoned in Iran on espionage charges, French teachers Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris returned to France on Wednesday.
—Sylvie Corbet, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for espionage
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Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2026
Just two months ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered that the citizenship of Israelis convicted of espionage for Iran be stripped of their citizenship.
—Elaine Mallon, FOXNews.com, 9 Apr. 2026
The Russian military is once again hacking home and small office routers in widespread operations that send unwitting users to sites that harvest passwords and credential tokens for use in espionage campaigns, researchers said Tuesday.
—Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 8 Apr. 2026
After more than three years imprisoned in Iran on espionage charges, French teachers Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris returned to France on Wednesday.
—Sylvie Corbet, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for espionage
Cite this Entry
“Espionage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/espionage. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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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