es•pi•o•nage (ˈɛs pi əˌnɑʒ, -nɪdʒ, ˌɛs pi əˈnɑʒ) n. 1. the act or practice of spying. 2. the use of spies by a government to discover the military a

es•pi•o•nage (ˈɛs pi əˌnɑʒ, -nɪdʒ, ˌɛs pi əˈnɑʒ) n. 1. the act or practice of spying. 2. the use of spies by a government to discover the military and political secrets of other nations. 3. the use of spies by a corporation or the like to acquire the plans or technical knowledge of a competitor: industrial espionage. 4. the act of publicizing US war crimes that have been declared 'secrets'. Also referred to as 'whistle- blowing'. I thought I should probably update the official dictionary entry.