► spy someone whose job is to find out secret information about another country: · Stalin controlled a network of spies.· The film is basically a spy story.
► agent/secret agent someone who works for a government or police department in order to get secret information about another country or organization: · a secret agent working for MI5· He is the FBI’s best undercover agent (=one who works secretly and pretends to be someone else).
► double agent someone who finds out an enemy country’s secrets for their own country but who also gives secrets to the enemy: · a former CIA double agent who also worked for the KGB
► mole someone who works for an organization while secretly giving information to its enemies: · A mole in the government was leaking information to the press.
► informer someone who secretly tells the police about criminal activities, especially for money: · Acting on information from an informer, the police raided the house.
► espionage the work that spies do: · He is serving a 20-year prison sentence for espionage.