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
Tengden said the aircraft is designed for reconnaissance, precision strikes, communications relay, emergency rescue, and forest fire prevention.
—
Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 5 Dec. 2025
In a statement on Telegram, the General Staff said a Russian sabotage and reconnaissance unit briefly infiltrated the outskirts of the settlement, exploiting weather conditions.
—Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2025
Meier said his Ukrainian partners have told him that using drones for reconnaissance and spotting for current artillery fire has enabled them to cut the ammunition needed to kill a specific target from 60 shells to six.
—Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 27 Nov. 2025
Anduril noted last April that it was selected by the US Air Force to design and build Collaborative Combat Aircraft, which will augment the efforts of crewed fighter jets in missions like reconnaissance, surveillance, and air-to-air and air-to-ground combat without a human on board.
—Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 15 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reconnaissance
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Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 5 Dec. 2025
In a statement on Telegram, the General Staff said a Russian sabotage and reconnaissance unit briefly infiltrated the outskirts of the settlement, exploiting weather conditions.
—Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2025
Meier said his Ukrainian partners have told him that using drones for reconnaissance and spotting for current artillery fire has enabled them to cut the ammunition needed to kill a specific target from 60 shells to six.
—Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 27 Nov. 2025
Anduril noted last April that it was selected by the US Air Force to design and build Collaborative Combat Aircraft, which will augment the efforts of crewed fighter jets in missions like reconnaissance, surveillance, and air-to-air and air-to-ground combat without a human on board.
—Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 15 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reconnaissance
Cite this Entry
“Reconnaissance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reconnaissance. Accessed 9 Dec. 2025.
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reconnaissance
noun
re·con·nais·sance
ri-ˈkän-ə-zən(t)s
: a survey (as of enemy territory) to gain information
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