noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:K AW2 N T ER0 EH1 S P IY0 AH0 N AA0 JH
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
All those activities undertaken to neutralize or exploit the espionage activities of another nation or an enemy.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
spying on the spies
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: counterintelligence
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱe? Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm Proto-Italic *kom Proto-Italic *kom- Proto-Indo-European *-teros Proto-Italic *-teros Proto-Italic *komterosder. Proto-Italic *komterād Latin contrāder. Old French contre- Anglo-Norman countre-bor. Middle English counter- English counter- English espionage English counterespionage From counter- + espionage.
Across languages
Translations
59 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Albanian:
kundërzbulim
— activities to prevent spying
Arabic:
مُكَافَحَة تَجَسُّس
(mukāfaḥat tajassus)
— activities to prevent spying
Armenian:
հակահետախուզություն
(hakahetaxuzutʻyun)
— activities to prevent spying
Azerbaijani:
əks-kəşfiyyat
— activities to prevent spying
Belarusian:
контрразве́дка
(kontrrazvjédka)
— activities to prevent spying
Belarusian:
контрвыве́дка
(kontrvyvjédka)
— activities to prevent spying
Bulgarian:
контраразузна́ване
(kontrarazuznávane)
— activities to prevent spying
Bulgarian:
контрашпиона́ж
(kontrašpionáž)
— activities to prevent spying
Catalan:
contraespionatge
— activities to prevent spying
Catalan:
contraintel·ligència
— activities to prevent spying
Chinese Cantonese:
反間諜 /反间谍
(faan2 gaan3 dip6)
— activities to prevent spying
Chinese Mandarin:
反間諜 /反间谍
(fǎnjiàndié)
— activities to prevent spying
Chinese Mandarin:
防諜 /防谍
(fángdié)
— activities to prevent spying
Crimean Tatar:
akiscasuslıq
— activities to prevent spying
Crimean Tatar:
qarşı casuslıq
— activities to prevent spying
Czech:
kontrarozvědka
— activities to prevent spying
Danish:
kontraspionage
— activities to prevent spying
Dutch:
contraspionage
— activities to prevent spying
Esperanto:
kontraŭspionado
— activities to prevent spying
Estonian:
vastuluure
— activities to prevent spying
Finnish:
vastavakoilu
— activities to prevent spying
French:
contre-espionnage
— activities to prevent spying
Georgian:
კონტრდაზვერვა
(ḳonṭrdazverva)
— activities to prevent spying
German:
Spionageabwehr
— activities to prevent spying
Greek:
αντικατασκοπία
(antikataskopía)
— activities to prevent spying
Hindi:
प्रत्यासूचना
(pratyāsūcnā)
— activities to prevent spying
Hungarian:
kémelhárítás
— activities to prevent spying
Icelandic:
gagnnjósnir
— activities to prevent spying
Indonesian:
kontraspionase
— activities to prevent spying
Indonesian:
kontra-intelijen
— activities to prevent spying
Italian:
controspionaggio
— activities to prevent spying
Japanese:
防諜
(bōchō)
— activities to prevent spying
Kazakh:
қарсы барлау
(qarsy barlau)
— activities to prevent spying
Kazakh:
қарсы шолу
(qarsy şolu)
— activities to prevent spying
Korean:
방첩
(bangcheop)
— activities to prevent spying
Kyrgyz:
контрразведка
(kontrrazvedka)
— activities to prevent spying
Kyrgyz:
каршы чалгын
(karşı calgın)
— activities to prevent spying
Latvian:
pretizlūkošana
— activities to prevent spying
Lithuanian:
kontržvalgyba
— activities to prevent spying
Norwegian Bokmål:
kontraetterretning
— activities to prevent spying
Norwegian Bokmål:
kontraspionasje
— activities to prevent spying
Iranian Persian:
ضِدِّاِطِّلاعات
(zeddeettelâ'ât)
— activities to prevent spying
Polish:
kontrwywiad
— activities to prevent spying
Portuguese:
contraespionagem
— activities to prevent spying
Portuguese:
contrainteligência
— activities to prevent spying
Romanian:
contraspionaj
— activities to prevent spying
Russian:
контршпиона́ж
(kontršpionáž)
— activities to prevent spying
Russian:
контрразве́дка
(kontrrazvédka)
— activities to prevent spying
Slovak:
kontrarozviedka
— activities to prevent spying
Slovene:
protiobveščevalna služba
— activities to prevent spying
Spanish:
contraespionaje
— activities to prevent spying
Spanish:
contrainteligencia
— activities to prevent spying
Swedish:
kontraspionage
— activities to prevent spying
Tajik:
контрразведка
(kontrrazvedka)
— activities to prevent spying
Turkish:
karşı istihbarat
— activities to prevent spying
Ukrainian:
контрро́звідка
(kontrrózvidka)
— activities to prevent spying
Ukrainian:
контррозві́дка
(kontrrozvídka)
— activities to prevent spying
Uzbek:
kontrrazvedka
— activities to prevent spying
Vietnamese:
phản gián
— activities to prevent spying