stake·out
ˈstāk-ˌau̇t 
: a surveillance maintained by the police of an area or a person suspected of criminal activity
staked out; staking out; stakes out
1
: to assign (someone, such as a police officer) to an area usually to conduct a surveillance
2
: to maintain a stakeout of
3
: to claim as one's own
Examples of stakeout in a Sentence
Noun
The drug deal was witnessed during a stakeout of the building.
The police were on a stakeout.
Recent Examples on the Web
Riley Robinson, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 May 2024
Investigators put the package back together and delivered it, setting up a stakeout near the St. Cloud home to see who would pick it up.
—Sandra McDonald, Miami Herald, 26 Apr. 2024
Garland is strongest with impressions: chirping birds over bloody lawns, the laconic humor of exhausted soldiers on a stakeout, a quick shot of Lee deleting some of her own photos, a private mode of self-care.
—Joshua Rothkopf, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
This time, the search required a long hike up Mt. Kerinci, the country’s largest volcano, and a nine-hour stakeout before the bird finally appeared.
—Joe Trezza, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2023
Sure, there’s plenty of suspense, intrigue and red herrings, but there’s also stakeouts, injuries and jumping fences to catch, or even get away from, the bad guys.
—Seth Combs, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Nov. 2023
All of them face west, optimizing sunset stakeouts.
—Devorah Lev-Tov Zoey Poll Caitie Kelly Devorah Lev-Tov Elinor Hitt Jinnie Lee, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2023
Swift, Lautner, King and Cash took the stage during Swift’s first Eras Tour stop in Kansas City, Missouri, to debut the music video that shows King and Lautner fighting ninjas and swerving around lasers to get to Swift, with Cash helping with security from a stakeout van outside.
—Christy Piña, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 July 2023
The source, who asked for anonymity in order to speak freely, noted the GOP leader has still been walking around the Capitol for the past few months, delivering floor remarks and leading media stakeouts.
—Phillip M. Bailey, The Courier-Journal, 27 July 2023
Ruth Graham, New York Times, 17 May 2024
Price: $1,450+ to $4,000+ Munich, Germany Charlotte’s craft beer fans can step off a direct flight to Munich and head straight to an Oktoberfest celebration (taking place Sept. 21-Oct 6, 2024) or stake out one of the city’s many beer gardens.
—Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 10 May 2024
After staking out his decoys, Lane settled against the trunk.
—Bob McNally, Outdoor Life, 9 May 2024
Guests can stake out a bench, spread out a blanket or wander the landscaped pathways during the reading.
—Laura Randall, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2024
At the same time, Disney found itself in a bitter political feud with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over who should govern a slice of land in Orlando that the company had staked out for its expanding footprint.
—Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 7 May 2024
Delta, United, Southwest, and American have staked out a dominant position atop the airline industry, which is currently the most consolidated it’s ever been in its 100-year history.
—Dylan Sloan, Fortune, 7 May 2024
According to the complaint, detectives witnessed Ocasio-Justiniano driving off in a teal Acura MDX from a Central Florida home that was being staked out as a target in a 2022 DEA investigation.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 3 May 2024
To view the shower, NASA recommends staking out a spot far away from city and street lights—and being prepared with a sleeping bag, blanket, or lawn chair.
—Simmone Shah, TIME, 3 May 2024
Noun
For all the new emphasis on light-footprint policing and community partnerships, today’s operation is an old-fashioned stakeout.
—Riley Robinson, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 May 2024
Investigators put the package back together and delivered it, setting up a stakeout near the St. Cloud home to see who would pick it up.
—Sandra McDonald, Miami Herald, 26 Apr. 2024
Garland is strongest with impressions: chirping birds over bloody lawns, the laconic humor of exhausted soldiers on a stakeout, a quick shot of Lee deleting some of her own photos, a private mode of self-care.
—Joshua Rothkopf, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
This time, the search required a long hike up Mt. Kerinci, the country’s largest volcano, and a nine-hour stakeout before the bird finally appeared.
—Joe Trezza, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2023
Sure, there’s plenty of suspense, intrigue and red herrings, but there’s also stakeouts, injuries and jumping fences to catch, or even get away from, the bad guys.
—Seth Combs, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Nov. 2023
All of them face west, optimizing sunset stakeouts.
—Devorah Lev-Tov Zoey Poll Caitie Kelly Devorah Lev-Tov Elinor Hitt Jinnie Lee, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2023
Swift, Lautner, King and Cash took the stage during Swift’s first Eras Tour stop in Kansas City, Missouri, to debut the music video that shows King and Lautner fighting ninjas and swerving around lasers to get to Swift, with Cash helping with security from a stakeout van outside.
—Christy Piña, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 July 2023
The source, who asked for anonymity in order to speak freely, noted the GOP leader has still been walking around the Capitol for the past few months, delivering floor remarks and leading media stakeouts.
—Phillip M. Bailey, The Courier-Journal, 27 July 2023
Verb
And in a landscape in which furious rhetoric blazes through statehouses and across social media, some are staking out a kind of middle ground.
—Ruth Graham, New York Times, 17 May 2024
Price: $1,450+ to $4,000+ Munich, Germany Charlotte’s craft beer fans can step off a direct flight to Munich and head straight to an Oktoberfest celebration (taking place Sept. 21-Oct 6, 2024) or stake out one of the city’s many beer gardens.
—Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 10 May 2024
After staking out his decoys, Lane settled against the trunk.
—Bob McNally, Outdoor Life, 9 May 2024
Guests can stake out a bench, spread out a blanket or wander the landscaped pathways during the reading.
—Laura Randall, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2024
At the same time, Disney found itself in a bitter political feud with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over who should govern a slice of land in Orlando that the company had staked out for its expanding footprint.
—Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 7 May 2024
Delta, United, Southwest, and American have staked out a dominant position atop the airline industry, which is currently the most consolidated it’s ever been in its 100-year history.
—Dylan Sloan, Fortune, 7 May 2024
According to the complaint, detectives witnessed Ocasio-Justiniano driving off in a teal Acura MDX from a Central Florida home that was being staked out as a target in a 2022 DEA investigation.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 3 May 2024
To view the shower, NASA recommends staking out a spot far away from city and street lights—and being prepared with a sleeping bag, blanket, or lawn chair.
—Simmone Shah, TIME, 3 May 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stakeout.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near stakeout
Cite this Entry
“Stakeout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stakeout. Accessed 23 May. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share