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
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 25 Aug. 2025
Since the arrests, staff members have witnessed at least three immigration stakeouts around the facility, two shelter employees said.
—Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC news, 26 July 2025
Peter J Reilly, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
As a rising leader in the global energy sector, Guyana is using its hydrocarbon wealth to stake out a sui generis leadership role in global climate conversations with an ambitious agenda for biodiversity protection and sustainable growth.
—Arick Wierson, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stakeout
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Noun
The eight-episode series, based on Dennis Tafoya’s 2009 novel of the same name, begins with a stakeout that’s also a fake-out.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 25 Aug. 2025
Since the arrests, staff members have witnessed at least three immigration stakeouts around the facility, two shelter employees said.
—Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC news, 26 July 2025
Verb
The appeals of Ranch Springs and Beaverdam in the Eleventh Circuit promise to be exciting thanks to the extreme positions staked out by Judge Lauber on one side and Jones Day on the other.
—Peter J Reilly, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
As a rising leader in the global energy sector, Guyana is using its hydrocarbon wealth to stake out a sui generis leadership role in global climate conversations with an ambitious agenda for biodiversity protection and sustainable growth.
—Arick Wierson, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Aug. 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 9 Sep. 2025.
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