counterspy

C3O1U1N1T1E1R1S1P3Y4

noun

A spy working in counterintelligence.

Similar
mole
OriginEnglish spy ← Middle English counter- ← Anglo-Norman countre- →
UncommonScrabble 17
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Meanings

nouncounterspy (plural counterspies)

plural counterspies

  1. A spy working in counterintelligence.
verbcounterspy (third-person singular simple present counterspies, present participle counterspying, simple past and past participle counterspied)

present singular third person counterspies · participle present counterspying · participle past counterspied · past counterspied

  1. intransitiveTo carry out counterespionage.

Synonyms & antonyms

nouna spy who works against enemy espionage

Similar
mole
Broader
spyundercover agent
Also see
mole

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

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. Englishspy
  13. Englishcounterspy

From counter- + spy.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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