reconnaissance

noun

re·​con·​nais·​sance ri-ˈkä-nə-zən(t)s 

-sən(t)s

: a preliminary survey to gain information

especially : an exploratory military survey of enemy territory

Examples of reconnaissance in a Sentence

There are two helicopters available for reconnaissance.

They did a reconnaissance of the enemy's position.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Barracuda class is designed to perform a wide range of missions, including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, land-attack operations, and special forces support. — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 28 June 2026

Its Russian captain allegedly acted on Russian intelligence and a Russian corvette ran reconnaissance. — Jill Goldenziel, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026

Once relying on its massive missile arsenal, advances in Israeli intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance have neutered its previous strategy of relying on simultaneous barrages of missiles to overwhelm Israeli missile defenses. — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 24 June 2026

To conduct a surface reconnaissance of Minanbé, the archaeologists and community workers cleared a path with machetes for three miles, then advanced on foot and by ATVs to the site. — Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 24 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

French, literally, recognition, from Middle French reconoissance, from Old French reconoistre to recognize

First Known Use

1779, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

reconnaissance

noun

re·​con·​nais·​sance ri-ˈkän-ə-zən(t)s 

: a survey (as of enemy territory) to gain information