surveyed; surveying
1
a
: to examine as to condition, situation, or value : appraise
b
: to query (someone) in order to collect data for the analysis of some aspect of a group or area
2
: to determine and delineate the form, extent, and position of (such as a tract of land) by taking linear and angular measurements and by applying the principles of geometry and trigonometry
3
: to view or consider comprehensively
4
: inspect, scrutinize
he surveyed us in a lordly way—
Alan Harrington
Alan Harrington
: to make a survey
plural surveys
1
2
: something that is surveyed
Synonyms
Examples of survey in a Sentence
Verb
A total of 250 city residents were surveyed about the project.
64 percent of the people surveyed said that the economy was doing well.
The teacher surveyed the room.
People were surveying the damage after the storm.
Engineers surveyed the property to see what could be built on it.
Noun
The survey found some surprising tendencies among the population.
We conducted an opinion survey on the issue and found that most people agree.
a survey on American drinking habits
Surveys of each department were conducted earlier this year.
A survey of recent corporate layoffs reveals a new trend in business management.
A new land survey changed the borders of their property.
Recent Examples on the WebLindsey Leake, Fortune Well, 17 Apr. 2024
Almost a quarter of New Hampshire voters surveyed said immigration is the most important issue facing the country, in a USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll from January, just ahead of the state’s first in the nation Republican presidential primary.
—USA TODAY, 17 Apr. 2024
Before the vote, the Nampa School District surveyed the community and found a majority of parents, students and teachers supported eliminating the fifth day of the week.
—Becca Savransky, Idaho Statesman, 17 Apr. 2024
When helicopters show up to survey the land for a third line, the family’s dog, Peaches, who is prone to seizures, goes into a barking frenzy.
—Antonio Olivo, Washington Post, 17 Apr. 2024
Cut the label out Much of Beckham’s fashion advice comes from surveying other people’s mistakes.
—Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 17 Apr. 2024
Still, this past quarter’s demand was not enough to beat Wall Street estimates of about $7.9 billion, according to a consensus estimate from analysts surveyed by FactSet.
—Bruce Gil, Quartz, 16 Apr. 2024
Archaeologists surveying the Juukan Gorge rock shelter in Western Australia that was destroyed by Rio Tinto in 2020 have unearthed major finds including the tooth of a Tasmanian Devil that has not been recorded on the mainland in 3,000 years.
—Reuters, NBC News, 16 Apr. 2024
Before removing any pieces of the bridge, divers are tasked with surveying the murky underwater wreckage and assessing how to safely extract the various parts.
—Lea Skene, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2024
Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2024
Next year, Gil de Montes will be the subject of a career survey at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
—Laura May Todd, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2024
The track also appears at Nos. 13, 15 and 19 on the Hot Rock Songs, Hot Alternative Songs and Hot Rock & Alternative Songs surveys, respectively.
—Kevin Rutherford, Billboard, 17 Apr. 2024
The poll survey makeup was 34% Republican, 31% Democratic and 34% independent — a slightly heavier sample of Republicans than average.
—Journal Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2024
Combine that with addiction and mental health struggles — a survey last year found around a fifth of those without shelter had a substance use disorder and more than a quarter reported serious mental health diagnoses — and the ripple effects are profound.
—Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Apr. 2024
The survey of 100 CEOs also found that 41% of organizations plan to increase their spending on generative AI next year, while 56% expect their overall investment to stay flat.
—John Kell, Fortune, 17 Apr. 2024
The judge agreed, saying the record supports the Bureau of Land Management's assertion that the project route avoids direct impacts to cultural resources that were identified by the surveys.
—Susan Montoya Bryan, Quartz, 17 Apr. 2024
To qualify as a Louisville Top Workplace, employees evaluate their workplace using a short 24-question survey that takes about five minutes to complete.
—Olivia Evans, The Courier-Journal, 7 Apr. 2024
Verb
Less variation was present among the 29 cities surveyed.
—Lindsey Leake, Fortune Well, 17 Apr. 2024
Almost a quarter of New Hampshire voters surveyed said immigration is the most important issue facing the country, in a USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll from January, just ahead of the state’s first in the nation Republican presidential primary.
—USA TODAY, 17 Apr. 2024
Before the vote, the Nampa School District surveyed the community and found a majority of parents, students and teachers supported eliminating the fifth day of the week.
—Becca Savransky, Idaho Statesman, 17 Apr. 2024
When helicopters show up to survey the land for a third line, the family’s dog, Peaches, who is prone to seizures, goes into a barking frenzy.
—Antonio Olivo, Washington Post, 17 Apr. 2024
Cut the label out Much of Beckham’s fashion advice comes from surveying other people’s mistakes.
—Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 17 Apr. 2024
Still, this past quarter’s demand was not enough to beat Wall Street estimates of about $7.9 billion, according to a consensus estimate from analysts surveyed by FactSet.
—Bruce Gil, Quartz, 16 Apr. 2024
Archaeologists surveying the Juukan Gorge rock shelter in Western Australia that was destroyed by Rio Tinto in 2020 have unearthed major finds including the tooth of a Tasmanian Devil that has not been recorded on the mainland in 3,000 years.
—Reuters, NBC News, 16 Apr. 2024
Before removing any pieces of the bridge, divers are tasked with surveying the murky underwater wreckage and assessing how to safely extract the various parts.
—Lea Skene, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2024
Noun
Forty percent of Democrats and 60% of Republicans support a ban or a sale of the popular app, the survey found.
—Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2024
Next year, Gil de Montes will be the subject of a career survey at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
—Laura May Todd, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2024
The track also appears at Nos. 13, 15 and 19 on the Hot Rock Songs, Hot Alternative Songs and Hot Rock & Alternative Songs surveys, respectively.
—Kevin Rutherford, Billboard, 17 Apr. 2024
The poll survey makeup was 34% Republican, 31% Democratic and 34% independent — a slightly heavier sample of Republicans than average.
—Journal Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2024
Combine that with addiction and mental health struggles — a survey last year found around a fifth of those without shelter had a substance use disorder and more than a quarter reported serious mental health diagnoses — and the ripple effects are profound.
—Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Apr. 2024
The survey of 100 CEOs also found that 41% of organizations plan to increase their spending on generative AI next year, while 56% expect their overall investment to stay flat.
—John Kell, Fortune, 17 Apr. 2024
The judge agreed, saying the record supports the Bureau of Land Management's assertion that the project route avoids direct impacts to cultural resources that were identified by the surveys.
—Susan Montoya Bryan, Quartz, 17 Apr. 2024
To qualify as a Louisville Top Workplace, employees evaluate their workplace using a short 24-question survey that takes about five minutes to complete.
—Olivia Evans, The Courier-Journal, 7 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'survey.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near survey
Cite this Entry
“Survey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/survey. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
survey
1 of 2 verb
sur·vey
sər-ˈvā 
ˈsər-ˌvā
surveyed; surveying
1
: to look over and examine closely
2
: to find out the size, shape, and position of (as an area of land)
3
: to gather information from or about
4
: to make a survey
survey
2 of 2 noun
sur·vey
ˈsər-ˌvā
sər-ˈvā
plural surveys
: the act or an instance of surveying or of applying the principles and methods of surveying
also
: something that is surveyed
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