tradecraft

From trade +‎ -craft.

tradecraft (countable and uncountable, plural tradecrafts)

1. The skills acquired through experience of a trade.
2. (espionage) The methods used in espionage and clandestine operations.
   • 2017 May 16, Mark Hertling, “Trump had the right to do it, but should he have?”, in CNN‎^[1], archived from the original on 29 June 2017:

     The conduct of the meeting and the passing of intelligence is simply amateurish statecraft and intelligence tradecraft, and begs the question: Who are the professionals planning the strategy and operations that direct the President on the world stage?

   • 2025 September 26, Julian E. Barnes, Helene Cooper, “Gabbard Ends Intelligence Report on Future Threats to U.S.”, in The New York Times‎^[2], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 26 September 2025:

     Defending the move, Ms. [Tulsi] Gabbard’s office highlighted what it said were problems of tradecraft, or the methodology used to gather information and analyze intelligence for the report.