surveillance

noun

: close watch kept over someone or something (as by a detective)

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

Etymology

French, from surveiller to watch over, from sur- + veiller to watch, from Old French veillier, from Latin vigilare, from vigil watchful — more at vigil

First Known Use

1802, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of surveillance was in 1802

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 How to pronounce surveillance (audio)
 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

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