counterespionage

noun

All those activities undertaken to neutralize or exploit the espionage activities of another nation or an enemy.

Similar
counterintelligence
OriginEnglish espionage ← Middle English counter- ← Anglo-Norman countre- →
Scrabble 21
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nouncounterespionage (uncountable)

alternative counter-espionage

  1. uncountableAll those activities undertaken to neutralize or exploit the espionage activities of another nation or an enemy.

    Synonyms: counterintelligence

Synonyms & antonyms

nounAll those activities undertaken to neutralize or exploit the espionage activities of another nation or an enemy.

Similar
counterintelligence

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*ḱe?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*ḱóm
  3. Proto-Italic*kom
  4. Proto-Italic*kom-
  5. Proto-Italic*komteros
  6. Proto-Italic*komterād
  7. Latincontrā
  8. Old Frenchcontre-
  9. Anglo-Normancountre-
  10. Middle Englishcounter-
  11. Englishcounter-
  12. Englishespionage
  13. Englishcounterespionage

From counter- + espionage.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic مُكَافَحَة تَجَسُّس
  • مُكَافَحَة تَجَسُّس (mukāfaḥat tajassus)activities to prevent spying
Bulgarian контраразузна́ване, контрашпиона́ж
  • контраразузна́ване (kontrarazuznávane)activities to prevent spying
  • контрашпиона́ж (kontrašpionáž)activities to prevent spying
Catalan contraespionatge, contraintel·ligència
  • contraespionatgeactivities to prevent spying
  • contraintel·ligènciaactivities to prevent spying
Chinese Cantonese 反間諜 /反间谍
  • 反間諜 /反间谍 (faan² gaan³ dip⁶)activities to prevent spying
Chinese Mandarin 反間諜 /反间谍, 防諜 /防谍
  • 反間諜 /反间谍 (fǎnjiàndié)activities to prevent spying
  • 防諜 /防谍 (fángdié)activities to prevent spying
Czech kontrarozvědka
  • kontrarozvědkaactivities to prevent spying
Danish kontraspionage
  • kontraspionageactivities to prevent spying
Dutch contraspionage
  • contraspionageactivities to prevent spying
Esperanto kontraŭspionado
  • kontraŭspionadoactivities to prevent spying
Estonian vastuluure
  • vastuluureactivities to prevent spying
Finnish vastavakoilu
  • vastavakoiluactivities to prevent spying
French contre-espionnage
  • contre-espionnageactivities to prevent spying
German Spionageabwehr
  • Spionageabwehractivities to prevent spying
Greek αντικατασκοπία
  • αντικατασκοπία (antikataskopía)activities to prevent spying
Hindi प्रत्यासूचना
  • प्रत्यासूचना (pratyāsūcnā)activities to prevent spying
Hungarian kémelhárítás
  • kémelhárításactivities to prevent spying
Icelandic gagnnjósnir
  • gagnnjósniractivities to prevent spying
Indonesian kontraspionase, kontra-intelijen
  • kontraspionaseactivities to prevent spying
  • kontra-intelijenactivities to prevent spying
Italian controspionaggio
  • controspionaggioactivities to prevent spying
Japanese 防諜
  • 防諜 (bōchō)activities to prevent spying
Korean 방첩
  • 방첩 (bangcheop)activities to prevent spying
Latvian pretizlūkošana
  • pretizlūkošanaactivities to prevent spying
Lithuanian kontržvalgyba
  • kontržvalgybaactivities to prevent spying
Norwegian Bokmål kontraetterretning, kontraspionasje
  • kontraetterretningactivities to prevent spying
  • kontraspionasjeactivities to prevent spying
Polish kontrwywiad
  • kontrwywiadactivities to prevent spying
Portuguese contraespionagem, contrainteligência
  • contraespionagemactivities to prevent spying
  • contrainteligênciaactivities to prevent spying
Romanian contraspionaj
  • contraspionajactivities to prevent spying
Russian контршпиона́ж, контрразве́дка
  • контршпиона́ж (kontršpionáž)activities to prevent spying
  • контрразве́дка (kontrrazvédka)activities to prevent spying
Slovak kontrarozviedka
  • kontrarozviedkaactivities to prevent spying
Spanish contraespionaje, contrainteligencia
  • contraespionajeactivities to prevent spying
  • contrainteligenciaactivities to prevent spying
Swedish kontraspionage
  • kontraspionageactivities to prevent spying
Turkish karşı istihbarat
  • karşı istihbaratactivities to prevent spying
Ukrainian контрро́звідка, контррозві́дка
  • контрро́звідка (kontrrózvidka)activities to prevent spying
  • контррозві́дка (kontrrozvídka)activities to prevent spying
Vietnamese phản gián
  • phản giánactivities to prevent spying
Cite this entry
APA

counterespionage. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/counterespionage

MLA

“counterespionage.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/counterespionage. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “counterespionage,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/counterespionage.

Source: counterespionage on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.