stake·out
ˈstāk-ˌau̇t 
: a surveillance maintained by the police of an area or a person suspected of criminal activity
staked out; staking out; stakes out
1
: to assign (someone, such as a police officer) to an area usually to conduct a surveillance
2
: to maintain a stakeout of
3
: to claim as one's own
Examples of stakeout in a Sentence
Noun
The drug deal was witnessed during a stakeout of the building.
The police were on a stakeout.
Recent Examples on the Web
Wyles Daniel, USA Today, 4 June 2025
In 2023, a forty-eight-year-old El Paso resident was taking medicine to her grandmother when she was arrested by state troopers on a stakeout, who had mistaken her for a smuggler.
—Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
Christian Schneider, National Review, 12 June 2025
Leah Byrne as Rose, staking out Merritt's captors Courtesy of Netflix
The penultimate episode of Dept. Q finally reveals the two people responsible for Merritt’s kidnapping: Ailsa Jennings and her son, Lyle.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for stakeout
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Noun
They’ve been married for over 57 years and now enjoy a quieter life filled with storytelling instead of stakeouts.
—Wyles Daniel, USA Today, 4 June 2025
In 2023, a forty-eight-year-old El Paso resident was taking medicine to her grandmother when she was arrested by state troopers on a stakeout, who had mistaken her for a smuggler.
—Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
Verb
With Rubio’s statement, the Trump administration staked out a commitment to fundamentally reorienting U.S. universities away from the status quo that has allowed Beijing to exploit the open nature of American society.
—Christian Schneider, National Review, 12 June 2025
Leah Byrne as Rose, staking out Merritt's captors Courtesy of Netflix
The penultimate episode of Dept. Q finally reveals the two people responsible for Merritt’s kidnapping: Ailsa Jennings and her son, Lyle.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for stakeout
Cite this Entry
“Stakeout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stakeout. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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