surveil

verb

sur·​veil sər-ˈvāl How to pronounce surveil (audio)
surveilled; surveilling

transitive verb

: to subject to surveillance

Examples of surveil in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web His preparations went so far as to surveil an unidentified school and join the U.S. Army to get the training necessary to become a more effective killer, prosecutors said. Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 29 Feb. 2024 Additional harassment included traveling to Natick to surveil the couple and installing a GPS tracking device on their car, prosecutors said. Antonio Planas, NBC News, 11 Jan. 2024 In a sign of a budding space race on the Korean Peninsula, Seoul is also planning to launch its first homegrown spy satellite, from California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base later this month, to better surveil North Korea. Bryan Pietsch, Washington Post, 21 Nov. 2023 Drones have been used to deliver contraband to inmates, but could also be used to surveil institutions, facilitate escape attempts, or transport explosives. Walter Pavlo, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Opinion: Before the feds surveil Americans for Gaza protests, rein in warrantless spying. Anthony De Leon, Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2024 Under Section 702 of FISA, the federal government can surveil foreigners without a warrant for national security purposes. Reese Gorman, Washington Examiner, 11 Dec. 2023 Hamas used them to surveil and drop grenades on Israeli defenses and communication towers. Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024 Federal police have separately accused Mr. Bolsonaro’s son and the former chief of Brazil’s intelligence agency of using Israeli spyware, among other tools, to surveil political enemies of the former president, including Mr. Moraes. Jack Nicas, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'surveil.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

back-formation from surveillance

First Known Use

1884, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of surveil was in 1884

Dictionary Entries Near surveil

Cite this Entry

“Surveil.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/surveil. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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