espionage

espionage — noun

1. the secret act of collecting private or protected information about a government

1.nounB2
Definition

the secret act of collecting private or protected information about a government, organization, or rival company, usually for political or financial gain.

Example

The journalist was arrested for espionage after sharing classified documents with a foreign embassy.

passive: arrested for espionage after [specific action]

Christopher worked as an undercover agent for ten years before retiring from espionage.

Common collocations
  • industrial espionage
  • cyber espionage
  • economic espionage
  • counter-espionage
  • espionage ring
  • espionage charges
  • espionage mission
  • espionage case
  • espionage network
  • corporate espionage
Synonyms
  • spying

    more everyday and informal; 'espionage' sounds more official and is preferred in legal and news contexts

  • intelligence gathering

    broader term that includes both secret and open methods of collecting information

  • surveillance

    focuses on watching or monitoring people/places, not necessarily on stealing secrets

Grammar Patterns

espionage + noun (espionage mission, espionage case)

adjective + espionage (industrial espionage, cyber espionage)

Usage Note

This noun is uncountable; do not use 'an' or 'one' before it. Commonly appears in formal or journalistic writing, often in set phrases such as 'industrial espionage', 'cyber espionage', and 'counter-espionage'.

Common Mistakes

He was arrested for spy.
He was arrested for espionage.
'Spy' refers to a person; 'espionage' refers to the activity itself.
She was involved in an espionage.
She was involved in espionage.
'Espionage' is an uncountable noun and cannot take the article 'an'.

Word family

  • spy
    nounB1
  • spy
    verbB1
  • counter-espionage
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

While all four terms involve collecting information, they differ in method and scope. 'Spying' is the plain-language everyday equivalent of espionage — it carries the same meaning but sounds less formal. 'Intelligence gathering' is a broader, more neutral term that can include legal methods such as analysing public records or debriefing diplomats. 'Surveillance' focuses on sustained observation of people, places, or communications, often by law enforcement rather than foreign agents. 'Reconnaissance' refers to short-term scouting of a specific area, usually for military planning. For example, a spy conducting espionage might steal coded files, while a police team performing surveillance would watch a suspect's house, and a soldier on a reconnaissance mission would photograph enemy terrain.

spying ↗intelligence gatheringsurveillance ↗reconnaissance

Common collocations

Phrases

  • act of espionage
  • charge of espionage
  • involve (someone) in espionage

Etymology

GermanicItalianFrenchEnglish

Borrowed from French 'espionnage', from 'espion' (spy), which traces back through Italian 'spione' to a Germanic root meaning 'to spy' or 'to watch'. English adopted the word in the late 1700s, around the time of the French Revolution, and it gradually replaced the older term 'spiery'.