noun
espionage
ES-pee-uh-nahzh/ˈespiənɑːʒ/
Spying to obtain secret information.
The spy conducts espionage by secretly observing the guarded building through binoculars.
Etymology
The French word for a spy supplies the base. The activity ending shifts attention from the person to the practice of covertly gathering information.
In context
was sentenced to nearly 5 years in prison for spying for Chinese intelligence in what prosecutors called an especially serious case of espionage. A German court found that he collected information
More examples
- The company accuses a competitor of industrial espionage.
- Investigators uncover an espionage network inside the military.
- She faces espionage charges for passing classified documents to another country.
Similar words
- spying
- An everyday term that also covers snooping into private lives.
- surveillance
- Emphasizes systematic monitoring, not necessarily obtaining secret information.