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
Wyles Daniel, USA Today, 4 June 2025
In 2023, a forty-eight-year-old El Paso resident was taking medicine to her grandmother when she was arrested by state troopers on a stakeout, who had mistaken her for a smuggler.
—Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 27 June 2025
Leff is one of many NorCal Resist volunteers who have accompanied immigrants to their court hearings, staked out hallways and anxiously paced around the courthouse closely watching out for anyone who could be an ICE agent.
—Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for stakeout
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Noun
They’ve been married for over 57 years and now enjoy a quieter life filled with storytelling instead of stakeouts.
—Wyles Daniel, USA Today, 4 June 2025
In 2023, a forty-eight-year-old El Paso resident was taking medicine to her grandmother when she was arrested by state troopers on a stakeout, who had mistaken her for a smuggler.
—Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
Verb
Barrett has drawn some ire from conservatives for staking out independent ground and at times breaking with Trump, who appointed her to the bench.
—Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 27 June 2025
Leff is one of many NorCal Resist volunteers who have accompanied immigrants to their court hearings, staked out hallways and anxiously paced around the courthouse closely watching out for anyone who could be an ICE agent.
—Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for stakeout
Cite this Entry
“Stakeout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stakeout. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.
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