Definition

1. Noun:
   • Intelligence agent: A person who is employed to collect and report secret information, especially about a foreign government or organization.
   • Spy: A person who secretly gathers and transmits confidential information.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Tình báo viên đó đã hoạt động ở nước ngoài trong nhiều năm. (That intelligence agent operated abroad for many years.)
  • Họ nghi ngờ một tình báo viên đang làm việc trong nhà máy. (They suspect a spy is working in the factory.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is formal and official, typically used in contexts of state or military intelligence.
• It implies a professional role within an intelligence-gathering organization.

Variants and Related Words

• Điệp viên (n): A synonym for spy, often with a stronger connotation of covert action and espionage.
  • Anh ta bị bắt vì là một điệp viên. (He was arrested for being a spy.)
• Nhân viên tình báo (n): Intelligence officer; a more general term for personnel working in intelligence.

Synonyms

• Spy: A person who secretly collects information.
• Agent: A person acting on behalf of an intelligence service.
• Operative: A member of an intelligence organization engaged in secret work.

Related Idioms

• : To engage in intelligence work.
  • Ông ấy từng làm tình báo trong chiến tranh. (He used to do intelligence work during the war.)