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
The police are staking out a building where criminal activity is suspected.
3
: to claim as one's own
staked out the biggest bedroom as his
4
: to mark the limits of (an area) with stakes
staking out where the shed will be built
5
: to state (one's opinion) in a very clear and definite way
She staked out her position on the issue in the speech.
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
Erin Qualey, Vulture, 27 Apr. 2026
The case stemmed from a police stakeout of the March 24 funeral for Markise Martin, 25, of Oakland, who was shot and killed in the early morning of March 7 during a confrontation inside the EZ Lounge.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 14 Apr. 2026
Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 7 May 2026
Because Turner moved early to stake out turf, TBS and CNN were in almost every cable home and, in the case of TBS, often popped up right next to the broadcast channels.
—Josef Adalian, Vulture, 7 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for stakeout
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Noun
The wordless shot of the three guys enjoying doughnuts on their stakeout is worth a thousand hilarious words, and the back-and-forth where Greg attempts to get Officer Rory to convince Tommy to stay in college is very funny.
—Erin Qualey, Vulture, 27 Apr. 2026
The case stemmed from a police stakeout of the March 24 funeral for Markise Martin, 25, of Oakland, who was shot and killed in the early morning of March 7 during a confrontation inside the EZ Lounge.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 14 Apr. 2026
Verb
Notable elsewhere is the Golden Globes ceremony once again staking out the second weekend in January, with the 2027 Critics Choice Awards occupying the weekend that the Globes used to happen on.
—Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 7 May 2026
Because Turner moved early to stake out turf, TBS and CNN were in almost every cable home and, in the case of TBS, often popped up right next to the broadcast channels.
—Josef Adalian, Vulture, 7 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for stakeout
Cite this Entry
“Stakeout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stakeout. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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