Espionage is the activity of finding out the political, military, or industrial secrets of your enemies or rivals by using spies. The authorities have arrested several people suspected of espionage. industrial espionage. see also counter-espionage = spying. the activity of secretly finding out secret information and giving it to a country's enemies or a company's competitors = spying spy (espionnage, from espion ). Practice of obtaining military, political, commercial, or other secret information by means of spies or illegal monitoring devices. It is sometimes distinguished from the broader category of intelligence gathering by its aggressive nature and its illegality. Counterespionage efforts are directed at detecting and thwarting espionage by others
The practice or employment of spies; the practice of watching the words and conduct of others, to make discoveries, as spies or secret emissaries; secret watching