surveyed; surveying
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 way …—
Alan Harrington
Alan Harrington
: to make a survey
plural surveys
1
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
CBS News, 25 Nov. 2025
What To Know On November 10, HCA Healthcare told Newsweek that the state surveying agency removed the immediate jeopardy designation and notified CMS of the outcome.
—Lauren Giella, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2025
Paulina Likos, CNBC, 26 Nov. 2025
The aim of the telescopes was to provide continuous coverage of the sky from both the Northern and Southern hemispheres, using identical telescopes with adaptive optics and the capability to conduct near-infrared wide-field surveys.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 26 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for survey
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Verb
While the National Weather Service will have to survey the area to officially assign a rating for the strength of the Harris County tornado, atmospheric parameters were certainly in place for a tornadic setup.
—CBS News, 25 Nov. 2025
What To Know On November 10, HCA Healthcare told Newsweek that the state surveying agency removed the immediate jeopardy designation and notified CMS of the outcome.
—Lauren Giella, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2025
Noun
The latest consumer surveys and annual holiday forecasts mirrored this trepidation heading into Black Friday — the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season — and followed by Cyber Week.
—Paulina Likos, CNBC, 26 Nov. 2025
The aim of the telescopes was to provide continuous coverage of the sky from both the Northern and Southern hemispheres, using identical telescopes with adaptive optics and the capability to conduct near-infrared wide-field surveys.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 26 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for survey
Cite this Entry
“Survey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/survey. Accessed 28 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
survey
1 of 2 verb
sur·vey
sər-ˈvā 
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
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
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