intelligence agency

noun

A governmental agency that is tasked with information gathering (known in the context as "intelligence") for purposes of national security and defense.

Similar
intelligence serviceintelligence
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Meanings

nounintelligence agency (plural intelligence agencies)

plural intelligence agencies

  1. A governmental agency that is tasked with information gathering (known in the context as "intelligence") for purposes of national security and defense.
    1 more example

    A mysterious maverick to say the least, the Illusive Man heads the Cerberus network. Dubbed "the illusive empire" by investigators, Cerberus is an allegedly untraceable syndicate of private intelligence agencies, biotics laboratories, engineering and scientific research teams, and lucrative front companies.

    2010, BioWare, Mass Effect 2 (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Cerberus: The Illusive Man Codex entry

    Synonyms: intelligence service

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA governmental agency that is tasked with information gathering (known in the context as "intelligence") for purposes of national security and defense.

Similar
intelligence service

More synonyms by meaning

nouna unit responsible for gathering and interpreting information about an enemy

Similar
intelligenceintelligence service
Broader
administrative unitadministrative body
Also see
intelligenceintelligence service

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Translations

Afrikaans intelligensiediens
  • intelligensiediensgovernmental agency devoted to information gathering
Arabic وَكَالَةْ اِسْتِخْبَار
  • وَكَالَةْ اِسْتِخْبَار (wakālat istiḵbār)governmental agency devoted to information gathering
Basque inteligentzia zerbitzu
  • inteligentzia zerbitzugovernmental agency devoted to information gathering
Catalan servei d'intel·ligència, agència d'intel·ligència
  • servei d'intel·ligènciagovernmental agency devoted to information gathering
  • agència d'intel·ligènciagovernmental agency devoted to information gathering
Chinese Mandarin 情報局 /情报局
  • 情報局 /情报局 (qíngbàojú)governmental agency devoted to information gathering
Czech zpravodajská služba, rozvědka
  • zpravodajská službagovernmental agency devoted to information gathering
  • rozvědkagovernmental agency devoted to information gathering
Danish efterretningstjeneste
  • efterretningstjenestegovernmental agency devoted to information gathering
Dutch inlichtingendienst, inteligentiedienst
  • inlichtingendienstgovernmental agency devoted to information gathering
  • inteligentiedienstgovernmental agency devoted to information gathering
Finnish tiedustelupalvelu
  • tiedustelupalvelugovernmental agency devoted to information gathering
French service de renseignements, service de renseignement
  • service de renseignementsgovernmental agency devoted to information gathering
  • service de renseignementgovernmental agency devoted to information gathering
German Nachrichtendienst, Geheimdienst
  • Nachrichtendienstgovernmental agency devoted to information gathering
  • Geheimdienstgovernmental agency devoted to information gathering
Greek υπηρεσία πληροφοριών
  • υπηρεσία πληροφοριών (ypiresía pliroforión)governmental agency devoted to information gathering
Indonesian badan intelijen
  • badan intelijengovernmental agency devoted to information gathering
Japanese 情報機関, 諜報機関
  • 情報機関 (jōhō-kikan)governmental agency devoted to information gathering
  • 諜報機関 (chōhō-kikan)governmental agency devoted to information gathering
  • スパイ機関 (supai-kikan)governmental agency devoted to information gathering
  • 特殊機関 (tokushu-kikan)governmental agency devoted to information gathering
  • 特務機関 (tokumu-kikan)governmental agency devoted to information gathering
Korean 정보 기관
  • 정보 기관 (jeongbo gigwan)governmental agency devoted to information gathering
Malay agensi perisikan
  • agensi perisikangovernmental agency devoted to information gathering
Norwegian etterretningstjeneste
  • etterretningstjenestegovernmental agency devoted to information gathering
Polish służby specjalne, wywiad
  • służby specjalnegovernmental agency devoted to information gathering
  • wywiadgovernmental agency devoted to information gathering
Portuguese serviço de informações, serviço de inteligência
  • serviço de informaçõesgovernmental agency devoted to information gathering
  • serviço de inteligênciagovernmental agency devoted to information gathering
  • agência de inteligênciagovernmental agency devoted to information gathering
  • inteligênciagovernmental agency devoted to information gathering
Romanian serviciu de informații
  • serviciu de informațiigovernmental agency devoted to information gathering
Russian разве́дка, специа́льная слу́жба
  • разве́дка (razvédka)governmental agency devoted to information gathering
  • специа́льная слу́жба (speciálʹnaja slúžba)governmental agency devoted to information gathering
  • разве́дывательная слу́жба (razvédyvatelʹnaja slúžba)governmental agency devoted to information gathering
Spanish servicio de inteligencia, agencia de inteligencia
  • servicio de inteligenciagovernmental agency devoted to information gathering
  • agencia de inteligenciagovernmental agency devoted to information gathering
Swedish underrättelsetjänst
  • underrättelsetjänstgovernmental agency devoted to information gathering
Vietnamese cục tình báo
  • cục tình báogovernmental agency devoted to information gathering
Cite this entry
APA

intelligence agency. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/intelligence%20agency

MLA

“intelligence agency.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/intelligence%20agency. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “intelligence agency,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/intelligence%20agency.

Source: intelligence agency on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.