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
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
Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 26 Feb. 2026
An overnight stakeout on a deserted winter beach, a mystery creature ripping line for close to an hour, an angler refusing to quit, and then the moment a drone rises over the water and delivers the answer.
—Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 25 Feb. 2026
Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 12 Mar. 2026
When Frank and Leaf arrived, the block had already been staked out by artists, who had founded an alternative gallery and studio space across the street at 10 Bleecker.
—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stakeout
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Noun
The stakeout ended with an arrest, when police spotted Savion Drinkwater, 29, leaving the area with a gun, according to court records.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 26 Feb. 2026
An overnight stakeout on a deserted winter beach, a mystery creature ripping line for close to an hour, an angler refusing to quit, and then the moment a drone rises over the water and delivers the answer.
—Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 25 Feb. 2026
Verb
Splash around in the waterpark (appropriately named SoundWaves for its Music City setting); see the resort from the water on a boat ride that travels along a winding river; or stake out a spot for the nightly light and fountain shows in the atrium.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 12 Mar. 2026
When Frank and Leaf arrived, the block had already been staked out by artists, who had founded an alternative gallery and studio space across the street at 10 Bleecker.
—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stakeout
Cite this Entry
“Stakeout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stakeout. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
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