stakeout

1 of 2

noun

stake·​out ˈstāk-ˌau̇t 

: a surveillance maintained by the police of an area or a person suspected of criminal activity

stake out

2 of 2

verb

staked out; staking out; stakes out

transitive verb

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

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

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

The burglars took videos of homes on their cell phones and staked out the neighborhoods in advance. —Bebe Hodges, The Enquirer, 25 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1942, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1951, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for stakeout

• roundabout
• runabout
• sauerkraut
• thereabout
• turnabout
• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout