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

Treat it as reconnaissance rather than drift. —Juliette Han, Forbes.com, 24 May 2026

Some drones are designed for reconnaissance. —Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 23 May 2026

The system provides an additional defensive layer against unmanned systems, especially reconnaissance drones that rely heavily on cameras and electro-optical sensors. —Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 22 May 2026

The startup’s existing smaller V-BAT drone, which focuses on intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), has won contracts with Japan’s Navy, the Netherlands Ministry of Defense, and the European Border and Coast Guard Agency. —Rebecca Fannin, CNBC, 19 May 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