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

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

Noun

Grogu, with a telescope in hand, is then seen standing beside Djarin in an apparent stakeout mission. —Edward Segarra, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2025

However, the peace vigil in Lafayette Park stands out as a permanent stakeout for free speech and is widely known as the longest continuous act of political protest in U.S. history. —Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 5 Sep. 2025

Verb

Mehdiyev repeatedly traveled to Alinejad’s neighborhood to stake out her residence, sending photographs, videos and updates on his activities to Omarov, who passed them on to Amirov. —Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025

Target had staked out a reputation as a strong corporate supporter of DEI. —Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 24 Oct. 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