Central Intelligence Agency
22
2.8
- proper noun
- /ˈsɛntrəl ɪnˈtɛlɪdʒəns ˈeɪdʒənsi/
:
Agencia Central de Inteligencia
- Even prior to Allende's electoral victory, the Central Intelligence Agency began preparations for his removal.
- Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
- U.S. Central Intelligence Agency
- Central Intelligence Agency report
So Kryptos is KRYPTOS sculpture by the American artist Jim Sandburg, located on the grounds of the Central Intelligence Agency in Langley, Virginia.
- So Kryptos is KRYPTOS sculpture by the American artist Jim Sandburg, located on the grounds of the Central Intelligence Agency in Langley, Virginia.
- So me, the Central Intelligence Agency, CIA and the Monroe Institute collaborated.
Examples
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Former President George H. W. Bush, who headed the Central Intelligence Agency before being elected president, stopped short of removing Hussein.
Academic text (2003) -
You're the director of the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States of America, for God's sake.
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I work for the Central Intelligence Agency.
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Mr. Shaw... have you ever been a contract agent for the Central Intelligence Agency?
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Doctor, do you still hold a top secret security clearance from the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States?
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The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Central Intelligence Agency.
Academic text (2003) -
Congressional oversight of the Central Intelligence Agency is a perfect example.
Academic text (1990) -
R. James Woolsey is a former director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
Academic text (2005) -
Cuyahoga Falls native Mike Morell is now the Acting Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
Blog text (14) -
R. James Woolsey served as the director of the Central Intelligence Agency during the 1990s.
Synonyms
783
2.8
A US government agency that gathers information about other countries to protect national security
Surface Forms
Morphology
central + intelligence + agency
The parts 'central' (main), 'intelligence' (security/military information) and 'agency' (an organization) combine compositionally to denote a principal organization that handles intelligence; a B1 learner who knows those words will readily infer it refers to an intelligence organization. They might not infer the US-specific name or full remit (e.g., overseas operations, counterintelligence) from the constituents alone, but the core meaning is directly derivable. Similar noun-noun constructions exist across many languages, supporting clear transparency.
Etymology
Central Intelligence Agency is a name that creates a simple picture: central is the main office, intelligence means secret 'information', and agency is an organization. Imagine a central room where reports from spies around the world arrive — that's why the name fits: it is the U.S. organization that gathers and organizes secret information from other countries.