Undercover Operations Terminology

noun A person who is employed to encourage others to break the law in order to incite prosecution

• The government suspected that the protest was infiltrated by an agent provocateur.
• They think there was an agent provocateur stirring up trouble at the rally.
• The agent provocateur was causing chaos at the event.
• She was like an agent provocateur, always provoking arguments among her friends.

adjective used to describe someone or something that is working or operating secretly or undercover

adverb used to describe an action that is done secretly or in a hidden manner

• The detective went undercover to gather information on the criminal organization.
• I heard that Sarah is going undercover for her latest assignment.
• The cops are sending someone undercover to bust the drug ring.
• She felt like she was living undercover, hiding her true self from the world.