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
Joe Trezza, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2023
Sure, there’s plenty of suspense, intrigue and red herrings, but there’s also stakeouts, injuries and jumping fences to catch, or even get away from, the bad guys.
—Seth Combs, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Nov. 2023
All of them face west, optimizing sunset stakeouts.
—Devorah Lev-Tov Zoey Poll Caitie Kelly Devorah Lev-Tov Elinor Hitt Jinnie Lee, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2023
Swift, Lautner, King and Cash took the stage during Swift’s first Eras Tour stop in Kansas City, Missouri, to debut the music video that shows King and Lautner fighting ninjas and swerving around lasers to get to Swift, with Cash helping with security from a stakeout van outside.
—Christy Piña, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 July 2023
The source, who asked for anonymity in order to speak freely, noted the GOP leader has still been walking around the Capitol for the past few months, delivering floor remarks and leading media stakeouts.
—Phillip M. Bailey, The Courier-Journal, 27 July 2023
Then, armed with several night-vision trail cameras, a large cage, and a generous cache of hot dogs, Tierney embarks on nighttime stakeouts in and around New York City.
—Sean Paulsen, The New Yorker, 5 July 2023
The area was so remote that during an 18-day stakeout, one agent saw a cougar kill a deer.
—Alex Traub, BostonGlobe.com, 10 June 2023
Then, pull up the stakeout pole, flip it over and push to the next spot.
—Ric Burnley, Field & Stream, 9 Jan. 2023
Christie D’zurilla, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
The relationship between Donald Trump and the pro-life movement has been on shaky ground for a while now: The former president blamed pro-lifers for Republicans' lackluster showing in the midterms and then refused to stake out a firm position on the issue during the GOP primary.
—Brittany Bernstein, National Review, 10 Apr. 2024
Robert Moskowitz, a painter who used the New York City skyline to stake out a unique position on the border of abstraction and representation, died on Sunday in Manhattan.
—Will Heinrich, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2024
The enterprising dermatologist from Dr. Day’s early years in practice was wise to stake out their own web address.
—Brennan Kilbane, Allure, 21 Mar. 2024
The at-capacity crowd packed the two-story music venue, with front-row audience members staking out their spots for over two hours, guaranteeing an up-close-and-personal experience with the controversial and enigmatic singer.
—Rose Eden, SPIN, 6 Mar. 2024
Waves of Quakers, Germans and descendants of British colonists staked out more routes over the next 200 years.
—Jayne Orenstein, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2024
On a ski trip, the spies stake out a couple (Sharon Horgan and Billy Campbell) living the kind of tense misery that makes all married people fear for their future.
—Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 1 Feb. 2024
The shift comes at the same time Ms. Hochul is trying to stake out a more aggressive stance on the migrant crisis stretching from the border to New York City.
—Nicholas Fandos, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024
Noun
This time, the search required a long hike up Mt. Kerinci, the country’s largest volcano, and a nine-hour stakeout before the bird finally appeared.
—Joe Trezza, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2023
Sure, there’s plenty of suspense, intrigue and red herrings, but there’s also stakeouts, injuries and jumping fences to catch, or even get away from, the bad guys.
—Seth Combs, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Nov. 2023
All of them face west, optimizing sunset stakeouts.
—Devorah Lev-Tov Zoey Poll Caitie Kelly Devorah Lev-Tov Elinor Hitt Jinnie Lee, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2023
Swift, Lautner, King and Cash took the stage during Swift’s first Eras Tour stop in Kansas City, Missouri, to debut the music video that shows King and Lautner fighting ninjas and swerving around lasers to get to Swift, with Cash helping with security from a stakeout van outside.
—Christy Piña, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 July 2023
The source, who asked for anonymity in order to speak freely, noted the GOP leader has still been walking around the Capitol for the past few months, delivering floor remarks and leading media stakeouts.
—Phillip M. Bailey, The Courier-Journal, 27 July 2023
Then, armed with several night-vision trail cameras, a large cage, and a generous cache of hot dogs, Tierney embarks on nighttime stakeouts in and around New York City.
—Sean Paulsen, The New Yorker, 5 July 2023
The area was so remote that during an 18-day stakeout, one agent saw a cougar kill a deer.
—Alex Traub, BostonGlobe.com, 10 June 2023
Then, pull up the stakeout pole, flip it over and push to the next spot.
—Ric Burnley, Field & Stream, 9 Jan. 2023
Verb
In the 15 months between O.J.’s arraignment and his acquittal, Robert and his ex-wife, Kris, staked out opposing positions on the trial.
—Christie D’zurilla, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
The relationship between Donald Trump and the pro-life movement has been on shaky ground for a while now: The former president blamed pro-lifers for Republicans' lackluster showing in the midterms and then refused to stake out a firm position on the issue during the GOP primary.
—Brittany Bernstein, National Review, 10 Apr. 2024
Robert Moskowitz, a painter who used the New York City skyline to stake out a unique position on the border of abstraction and representation, died on Sunday in Manhattan.
—Will Heinrich, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2024
The enterprising dermatologist from Dr. Day’s early years in practice was wise to stake out their own web address.
—Brennan Kilbane, Allure, 21 Mar. 2024
The at-capacity crowd packed the two-story music venue, with front-row audience members staking out their spots for over two hours, guaranteeing an up-close-and-personal experience with the controversial and enigmatic singer.
—Rose Eden, SPIN, 6 Mar. 2024
Waves of Quakers, Germans and descendants of British colonists staked out more routes over the next 200 years.
—Jayne Orenstein, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2024
On a ski trip, the spies stake out a couple (Sharon Horgan and Billy Campbell) living the kind of tense misery that makes all married people fear for their future.
—Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 1 Feb. 2024
The shift comes at the same time Ms. Hochul is trying to stake out a more aggressive stance on the migrant crisis stretching from the border to New York City.
—Nicholas Fandos, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stakeout.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Stakeout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stakeout. Accessed 17 Apr. 2024.
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