Espionage Vocabulary

verb to change the appearance or form of in order to conceal or hide

adjective having a different appearance or form in order to conceal one's true identity

• The spy was able to infiltrate the enemy base by cleverly disguised as a janitor.
• She showed up to the party disguised as a clown, it was hilarious!
• He was totally disguised as a hipster at the concert last night.
• Her true intentions were disguised behind a friendly smile.

noun a person who secretly listens to the private conversations of others

adjective eavesdropping (related to the act of secretly listening to conversations)

• The eavesdropper was caught listening in on the private conversation.
• I saw the eavesdropper trying to sneak a listen to our chat.
• That eavesdropper is always trying to be nosy.
• The walls have ears, so be careful of any potential eavesdropper.

noun a word used to express an action, state, feeling, or idea

verb a word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence

pronoun a word that can function by itself as a noun phrase and that refers either to the participants in the discourse or to someone or something mentioned elsewhere in the discourse

preposition a word used before a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase to show direction, location, or time

article a word that is used with a noun to specify grammatical definiteness of the noun

• The commander will give the word for the troops to advance.
• Just let me know when to start, I'll wait for you to give the word.
• I'll wait for the cue, just give the word and I'll make my move.
• After much deliberation, she finally decided to give the word on the new project.

noun a place used as a hideaway or refuge, typically for someone trying to escape from danger or trouble

• The criminal gang was found hiding in their secret hideout in the mountains.
• Let's meet at our secret hideout behind the old warehouse.
• The kids built a cool hideout in the woods where they hang out after school.
• In times of trouble, his mind becomes a hideout where he seeks solace and peace.

verb to secretly enter or gain access to a place or organization in order to gather information or cause damage

• The spy managed to infiltrate the enemy's headquarters without being detected.
• I heard that some kids tried to infiltrate the abandoned house last night.
• The hacker was able to infiltrate the company's database and steal sensitive information.
• Negative thoughts can easily infiltrate your mind if you're not careful.

noun the act of hitting someone or something with stealth or secrecy

• The military operation was successful due to the stealth hit on the enemy's headquarters.
• Did you see that stealth hit in the video game? It was epic!
• That stealth hit in the movie was so lit!
• His subtle criticism was like a stealth hit to her confidence.

noun Kompromat refers to compromising material or information that can be used to blackmail or manipulate someone, especially in a political context.

• The diplomat was concerned about the possibility of kompromat being used against him.
• I heard a rumor that there's some kompromat on the CEO that could be leaked.
• They're trying to dig up some kompromat to use against their opponent in the election.
• The scandal was like a piece of kompromat that tarnished his reputation forever.