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surveillance
noun
sur·veil·lance
sər-ˈvā-lən(t)s
also
-ˈvāl-yən(t)s
or
-ˈvā-ən(t)s
: close watch kept over someone or something (as by a detective)
also
: supervision see also immune surveillance
Synonyms
Examples of surveillance in a Sentence
government surveillance of suspected terrorists
The bank robbery was recorded by surveillance video cameras.
Recent Examples on the Web
Investigators also are looking at surveillance video and talking with people in the neighborhood.
—Rick Hurd, The Mercury News, 26 Apr. 2024
Mall surveillance footage showed one group with Brown and the other group with Greer.
—Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 24 Apr. 2024
Screenshots of surveillance videos soon show Gietzen pushing through the barrier as a crowd of others follow.
—Julia Coin, Charlotte Observer, 24 Apr. 2024
Hundreds of complaints have been lodged with the NLRB against Starbucks, alleging labor violations like dismissing union advocates, conducting surveillance on employees, and shuttering stores during labor drives.
—Nik Popli, TIME, 23 Apr. 2024
Three days after that, Azzarello was arrested again for criminal mischief after he was seen on surveillance video allegedly vandalizing property belonging to a nonprofit in St. Johns County, including writing with permanent marker on one of their signs, court documents state.
—Mirna Alsharif, NBC News, 23 Apr. 2024
The complaint details evidence police say ties Anderson to the crimes, including surveillance video, witness accounts and phone records.
—Zoe Sottile, CNN, 14 Apr. 2024
The car had stolen license plates and was captured on surveillance video during the burglaries, Constable Mark Herman told the station.
—Stephen Sorace, Fox News, 14 Apr. 2024
Prior to this revolution, various commercial drones played critical roles, primarily for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.
—IEEE Spectrum, 10 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'surveillance.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing surveillance
Dictionary Entries Near surveillance
Cite this Entry
“Surveillance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/surveillance. Accessed 2 May. 2024.
Kids Definition
surveillance
noun
sur·veil·lance
sər-ˈvā-lən(t)s
also -ˈvāl-yən(t)s,
or -ˈvā-ən(t)s
: close watch
under surveillance
Medical Definition
surveillance
noun
sur·veil·lance
sər-ˈvā-lən(t)s also -ˈvāl-yən(t)s or -ˈvā-ən(t)s
: close and continuous observation or testing
serological surveillance
see immune surveillance
More from Merriam-Webster on surveillance
Nglish: Translation of surveillance for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of surveillance for Arabic Speakers
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