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

Raymond said on Friday that an exhaustive review of video surveillance footage from the days leading up to the explosion allegedly captured Berezovk making several reconnaissance visits to the building. — Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 3 July 2026

The same advances are also lowering the barrier for bad actors, enabling faster reconnaissance and more sophisticated attacks. — Shane Buckley, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026

McKinney reportedly failed to return after departing from Yunnanyi, China, on a reconnaissance mission to photograph targets in Thailand and Burma. — Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2026

The software targets intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions, where operators need to identify vehicles and other objects quickly in crowded or visually challenging environments. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 2 July 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