Definition of surveillancenext
1
2
as in watch
an act or period of watching for signs of activity, danger, or opportunity government surveillance of suspected terrorists

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of surveillance To communicate with victims and collect their money, these scammers rely on technology and financial systems that could be disrupted with better surveillance and policing. Editorial Board, Washington Post, 8 Aug. 2026 State police say investigators are canvassing the area surrounding Ryan's father's home and will be knocking on residents' doors in search of surveillance video that may show Ryan's movements. Katie Houlis, CBS News, 8 Aug. 2026 Prosecutors said surveillance footage captured her fleeing the home as Yolanda Marodi pursued her. Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 8 Aug. 2026 Anduril Industries is an American defense technology company that designs, builds, and manufactures autonomous weapons, surveillance systems, and military software powered by artificial intelligence (AI). Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for surveillance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surveillance
Noun
  • The focus is widening to include the financial stewardship of the organizations receiving those dollars, and whether nonprofit boards are exercising sufficient oversight over the executives entrusted to spend them.
    Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Strong governance, transparency, and meticulous record-keeping are crucial for maintaining tax-exempt status and ensuring the collection's long-term stewardship.
    Matthew F. Erskine, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • On October 12, 2025, armed and masked thieves broke into the museum and made off with cash from the register and at least one watch.
    Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Ben Cook, a New York creator who posts about watches on TikTok, uses his Meta smart glasses to listen to music on runs and take hands-free calls.
    Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Control or supervision over the chokepoint has become just as much a red line for Tehran as the right to nuclear enrichment.
    Todd Symons, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Plenty of building still belongs to specialists, including complex systems, security-sensitive applications, and anything going to customers without supervision.
    Will Drover, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Security video of the early April 9 morning burglary shows three men entered the business through a broken window, smashed the machines with sledge hammers and pried out the boxes while a fourth man acted as lookout, the report said.
    Dennis Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2026
  • But with high-yield corporate bonds struggling, Wolfe Research technical strategist Rob Ginsberg thinks stock investors should be on the lookout.
    Fred Imbert, CNBC, 27 July 2026
Noun
  • As more and more produce for American markets has been grown overseas in recent decades, the US government has largely outsourced safety oversight to the companies farming and selling it.
    Yahya Abou-Ghazala, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The piece urges critical inquiry into such claims, emphasizing that human oversight, not AI's inherent deviousness, can be a sizable contributor.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • The banks maintain that their contracts give them broad authority to end customer relationships and that decisions may be driven by regulatory and risk-management obligations.
    Zachary Bynum, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026
  • According to officials, the program began in 2001 with NDOW’s first Karelian bear dog, Stryker, making the agency one of the first in North America to use the breed for bear management.
    Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 5 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Not necessarily having control of it, but understanding what Kanan did and how this was going to come back to him.
    Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 8 Aug. 2026
  • On June 12, Anthropic suspended access to its Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models to comply with Commerce Department export controls.
    Jason Snyder, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • To communicate with victims and collect their money, these scammers rely on technology and financial systems that could be disrupted with better surveillance and policing.
    Editorial Board, Washington Post, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Bukele took extraordinary actions, with regard to policing, and achieved extraordinary things.
    Nathan Lewis, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Surveillance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surveillance. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on surveillance

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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