stakeout

1 of 2

noun

stake·​out ˈstāk-ˌau̇t How to pronounce stakeout (audio)
: 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
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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
Yellen's comments stake out the position of those — including essentially all mainstream economists — who see trade as broadly beneficial for Americans and tariffs as an inflationary force that do more harm than good. Neil Irwin, Axios, 17 Oct. 2024 Jumping back in time, Knight and Parker are staking out the warehouse for any movement, and Parker mentions that a hair band that Moreno left behind in the REACT training room is the same colorful rainbow kind that Nexus uses to sort their dirty cash. Sara Netzley, EW.com, 15 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for stakeout 

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1942, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1951, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of stakeout was circa 1942

Dictionary Entries Near stakeout

Cite this Entry

“Stakeout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stakeout. Accessed 6 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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