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
Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 1 Sep. 2024
There’s a coda with Axel, Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and Taggart (John Ashton) that recreates their famous stakeout in the first film.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 July 2024
Riley Beggin, USA TODAY, 16 Oct. 2024
The French have a competent military, and President Emmanuel Macron has tried to stake out a leadership position in Europe amid the war in Ukraine by ratcheting up his calls for stronger support for Ukraine and even suggesting that European forces might be deployed there if necessary.
—Phillips P. O’Brien, Foreign Affairs, 6 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stakeout 
Noun
Left to do nothing but watch their target on hidden cams, Bravo’s stakeout turned into what Friends‘ Ross might call Truth Day.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 1 Sep. 2024
There’s a coda with Axel, Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and Taggart (John Ashton) that recreates their famous stakeout in the first film.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 July 2024
Verb
James Zogby, founder of the Arab American Institute and a longtime member of the Democratic National Committee, was one of the first national Democratic advocates to publicly stake out a plan to replace Biden following his disastrous debate performance in late June.
—Riley Beggin, USA TODAY, 16 Oct. 2024
The French have a competent military, and President Emmanuel Macron has tried to stake out a leadership position in Europe amid the war in Ukraine by ratcheting up his calls for stronger support for Ukraine and even suggesting that European forces might be deployed there if necessary.
—Phillips P. O’Brien, Foreign Affairs, 6 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stakeout
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 31 Oct. 2024.
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