surveying

1 of 2

noun

sur·​vey·​ing sər-ˈvā-iŋ 

ˈsər-ˌvā-

: a branch of applied mathematics that is concerned with determining the area of any portion of the earth's surface, the lengths and directions of the bounding lines, and the contour of the surface and with accurately delineating the whole on paper

surveying

2 of 2

present participle of survey entry 1

Examples of surveying in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Geoscan describes itself as one of Russia’s leading drone manufacturers, and says the 701 model is designed for large-scale aerial surveying. — Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026

With surveying capabilities more than 1,000 times faster than the Hubble Space Telescope, Roman will capture fundamentally different scientific observations that can’t be done with either Hubble or the James Webb Space Telescope. — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026

Its influence can be seen in later sextants, surveying instruments, and navigation technologies. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 16 Aug. 2026

The city has so far spent about $325,000 in expenses for preliminary studies of the proposal, including $169,500 in consulting and public opinion surveying, and $155,500 in graphic design and marketing, according to the city. — Kyle Martin, Mercury News, 23 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1682, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for surveying

• allaying
• arraying
• assaying
• betraying
• bricklaying
• buffeting
• conveying
• crocheting
• decaying
• defraying
• delaying
• dismaying

Kids Definition

surveying

noun

sur·​vey·​ing

sər-ˈvā-iŋ

: a branch of mathematics concerned with finding the area of any part of the earth's surface, the lengths and directions of the boundary lines, and the shape of the surface and with accurately showing the results on paper