surveil

verb

sur·​veil sər-ˈvāl 

surveilled; surveilling

transitive verb

: to subject to surveillance

Examples of surveil in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In 2023, authorities in New York made arrests in connection with secret police stations set up on behalf of the Chinese government to surveil Chinese dissidents. — ABC News, 13 Nov. 2026

Officials said criminal organizations were using drones to support smuggling operations and surveil law enforcement and military personnel. — Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Nov. 2026

The plaintiffs argue the government could not surveil at scale by manually scouring the internet, since there are about 55 million visa holders in the country. — Varsha Bansal, Christian Science Monitor, 29 Oct. 2026

Rose came to believe that Kloak had actually been sent by its masters to surveil her but was now betraying them. — Sam Kestenbaum, Harpers Magazine, 27 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

back-formation from surveillance

First Known Use

1884, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for surveil

• airmail
• assail
• avail
• bewail
• blackmail
• cattail
• cocktail
• curtail
• derail
• detail
• dovetail
• email