surveillance

noun

: close watch kept over someone or something (as by a detective)

Examples of surveillance in a Sentence

government surveillance of suspected terrorists The bank robbery was recorded by surveillance video cameras.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Flock Safety also supplies the most surveillance cameras to continuously record details about vehicles driven across North Carolina, The News & Observer reported last year. Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 13 Oct. 2025 There are multiple angles of surveillance footage which capture the events that occurred. Devon Henderson, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025 Mariângela Batista Galvão Simão, Brazil’s secretary of health and environmental surveillance, oversaw the arrival of the first batch of fomepizole at São Paulo’s Guarulhos International Airport. Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 12 Oct. 2025 The White House border czar, Tom Homan, was recorded on an FBI surveillance tape in September 2024 accepting $50,000 in cash. ABC News, 12 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for surveillance

Word History

Etymology

French, from surveiller to watch over, from sur- + veiller to watch, from Old French veillier, from Latin vigilare, from vigil watchful — more at vigil

First Known Use

1802, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of surveillance was in 1802

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Surveillance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/surveillance. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

surveillance

noun
sur·​veil·​lance sər-ˈvā-lən(t)s How to pronounce surveillance (audio)
 also  -ˈvāl-yən(t)s,
 or  -ˈvā-ən(t)s
: close watch
under surveillance

Medical Definition

surveillance

noun
sur·​veil·​lance
sər-ˈvā-lən(t)s also -ˈvāl-yən(t)s or -ˈvā-ən(t)s
: close and continuous observation or testing
serological surveillance
see immune surveillance

More from Merriam-Webster on surveillance

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!