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 WebKathryn Watson, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2024
Researchers at the University of Warsaw surveyed 937 U.K. managers to find that fully remote workers were 11% less likely to receive a promotion compared to colleagues who worked exclusively in the office.
—Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 5 Apr. 2024
Divers are surveying the wreckage underwater and slicing it up with guidance from teams on the surface because of low visibility of one to two feet.
—Leslie Shapiro, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024
During his Friday visit, Biden surveyed the wreckage and was scheduled to meet with family members of the six construction workers who died in the March 26 accident.
—Nik Popli, TIME, 5 Apr. 2024
In another study, Richter surveyed 28 urban water utilities and found that total water use dropped by 18% between 2000 and 2020, even as the population grew by 24%.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
Gavin Newsom surveys California snowpack, unveiling water plan for an uncertain future, via Ari Plachta.
—Andrew Sheeler, Sacramento Bee, 4 Apr. 2024
On Wednesday, the NWS will survey Clark County, Indiana eastward through the Prospect area of Oldham and Henry counties.
—Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 3 Apr. 2024
Its diluted earnings per share came to $3.86, well above Wall Street expectations of $3.43, according to a consensus estimate from analysts surveyed by FactSet.
—Bruce Gil, Quartz, 21 Mar. 2024
Olivia Evans, The Courier-Journal, 7 Apr. 2024
To qualify as a Michigan Top Workplace, employees evaluate their workplace using a short 24-question survey that takes about 5 minutes to complete.
—Bob Helbig, Detroit Free Press, 7 Apr. 2024
Biden’s boosters rightly argue that while Trump may have advantages in six of the seven states’ polls, the former President is statistically leading in just two given the surveys’ margin of error.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 5 Apr. 2024
The survey’s results provide another indication of the potential for AI and generative AI — which can create original text, images and other content in response to prompts from users — to revolutionize employment and the way people work.
—Anna Cooban, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
Attitudes about the economy improved in previous months but remain well below pre-pandemic levels, the survey showed.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 5 Apr. 2024
Networking sites are the popular dating method for single people between 25 and 40, the survey of 505 people actively dating found.
—Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024
In the Scott interview, a viewer can recognize those gestures of Andrew’s that decades later seem seedy rather than winning: the lordly tuck of the chin, the arrogant survey of the eyes.
—Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 4 Apr. 2024
The country was ranked as the favorite location for digital nomads in 2023, according to a survey by renting marketplace Flatio.
—Byryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 25 Mar. 2024
Verb
The president will survey the site of the devastation and meet with state and local officials.
—Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2024
Researchers at the University of Warsaw surveyed 937 U.K. managers to find that fully remote workers were 11% less likely to receive a promotion compared to colleagues who worked exclusively in the office.
—Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 5 Apr. 2024
Divers are surveying the wreckage underwater and slicing it up with guidance from teams on the surface because of low visibility of one to two feet.
—Leslie Shapiro, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024
During his Friday visit, Biden surveyed the wreckage and was scheduled to meet with family members of the six construction workers who died in the March 26 accident.
—Nik Popli, TIME, 5 Apr. 2024
In another study, Richter surveyed 28 urban water utilities and found that total water use dropped by 18% between 2000 and 2020, even as the population grew by 24%.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
Gavin Newsom surveys California snowpack, unveiling water plan for an uncertain future, via Ari Plachta.
—Andrew Sheeler, Sacramento Bee, 4 Apr. 2024
On Wednesday, the NWS will survey Clark County, Indiana eastward through the Prospect area of Oldham and Henry counties.
—Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 3 Apr. 2024
Its diluted earnings per share came to $3.86, well above Wall Street expectations of $3.43, according to a consensus estimate from analysts surveyed by FactSet.
—Bruce Gil, Quartz, 21 Mar. 2024
Noun
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
To qualify as a Michigan Top Workplace, employees evaluate their workplace using a short 24-question survey that takes about 5 minutes to complete.
—Bob Helbig, Detroit Free Press, 7 Apr. 2024
Biden’s boosters rightly argue that while Trump may have advantages in six of the seven states’ polls, the former President is statistically leading in just two given the surveys’ margin of error.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 5 Apr. 2024
The survey’s results provide another indication of the potential for AI and generative AI — which can create original text, images and other content in response to prompts from users — to revolutionize employment and the way people work.
—Anna Cooban, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
Attitudes about the economy improved in previous months but remain well below pre-pandemic levels, the survey showed.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 5 Apr. 2024
Networking sites are the popular dating method for single people between 25 and 40, the survey of 505 people actively dating found.
—Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024
In the Scott interview, a viewer can recognize those gestures of Andrew’s that decades later seem seedy rather than winning: the lordly tuck of the chin, the arrogant survey of the eyes.
—Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 4 Apr. 2024
The country was ranked as the favorite location for digital nomads in 2023, according to a survey by renting marketplace Flatio.
—Byryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 25 Mar. 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 19 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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