survey

1 of 2

verb

surveyed; surveying

transitive verb

1
a
: to examine as to condition, situation, or value : appraise
b
: to query (someone) in order to collect data for the analysis of some aspect of a group or area
2
: to determine and delineate the form, extent, and position of (such as a tract of land) by taking linear and angular measurements and by applying the principles of geometry and trigonometry
3
: to view or consider comprehensively
4
: inspect, scrutinize
he surveyed us in a lordly wayAlan Harrington

intransitive verb

: to make a survey

survey

2 of 2

noun

plural surveys
1
: the act or an instance of surveying: such as
a
: a broad treatment of a subject
2
: something that is surveyed

Examples of survey in a Sentence

Verb A total of 250 city residents were surveyed about the project. 64 percent of the people surveyed said that the economy was doing well. The teacher surveyed the room. People were surveying the damage after the storm. Engineers surveyed the property to see what could be built on it. Noun The survey found some surprising tendencies among the population. We conducted an opinion survey on the issue and found that most people agree. a survey on American drinking habits Surveys of each department were conducted earlier this year. A survey of recent corporate layoffs reveals a new trend in business management. A new land survey changed the borders of their property.
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Verb
In a concerning sign for the vice president, 74% of those surveyed in the state reported feeling that the country has been on the wrong track, while 57% either somewhat or strongly disapproved of Joe Biden's job as president. Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 31 Oct. 2024 Analysts surveyed by FactSet had expected that treatment to bring in $435 million in revenue. Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 31 Oct. 2024
Noun
In 2019, a survey of 2,000 adults commissioned by ChannelMum.com, found that 40 percent of respondents considered their mom to be their favorite parent, while around one in seven preferred their dad. Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024 Economists had been expecting payrolls to rise by 100,000 for the month, according to a survey from Dow Jones. Michele Luhn, CNBC, 1 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for survey 

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French surveer, to look over, from sur- + veer to see — more at view

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

1548, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of survey was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near survey

Cite this Entry

“Survey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/survey. Accessed 10 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

survey

1 of 2 verb
sur·​vey sər-ˈvā How to pronounce survey (audio)
ˈsər-ˌvā
surveyed; surveying
1
: to look over and examine closely
2
: to find out the size, shape, and position of (as an area of land)
3
: to gather information from or about
4
: to make a survey

survey

2 of 2 noun
sur·​vey ˈsər-ˌvā How to pronounce survey (audio)
sər-ˈvā
plural surveys
: the act or an instance of surveying or of applying the principles and methods of surveying
also : something that is surveyed

More from Merriam-Webster on survey

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