surveillance

noun

sər-ˈvā-lən(t)s How to pronounce surveillance (audio)
Definition of surveillancenext
1
as in stewardship
the duty or function of watching or guarding for the sake of proper direction or control a neutral country charged with the surveillance of the post-war rebuilding effort

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
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 The legal challenge intensified an unusually public dispute over how AI can be used in warfare and mass surveillance. — Kaitlyn Huamani, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026 She can be seen in surveillance footage purchasing a gun and ammunition from a local pawn shop before stopping for gas at a convenience store. — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Aug. 2026 The cameras upload license plate numbers and also the vehicle’s color, model and even bumper stickers to the country’s largest vehicle surveillance database. — Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Aug. 2026 Police recovered surveillance footage showing Soto leaving the Grand Concourse building wheeling a small suitcase. — Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for surveillance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surveillance
  1. stewardship
  2. watch
  3. supervision
  4. lookout
  5. oversight
  6. management
  7. control
  8. policing
Noun
  • But a group of local Jewish organizations object to his stewardship of a key cultural venue in the city.
    — Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Since Jerry Buss built the Lakers into the NBA’s most glamorous franchise during four decades of stewardship, the team will now have a third controlling owner in as many years.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of stewardship
Noun
  • Still, there’s a kind of hip, comfort food aspect to the entire enterprise that keeps it an easy, if slightly cluttered and overlong watch.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
  • In less time than that, the salesperson came back with my three watches and just gave them to me.
    — Ticked Off, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of watch
Noun
  • Many renovations are complete, including the transformation of one building into shop rooms full of tools that students will use to work on real-world projects under faculty supervision.
    — Jon Marcus, NPR, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Meanwhile, a current CFPB staffer told ProPublica that the number of policy attorneys, who help direct supervision work and identify violations of law, had shrunk from typically between 40 and 50 lawyers down to five.
    — Andy Kroll, ProPublica, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of supervision
Noun
  • Brunton told The Times that the county was launching a pilot program (somewhat literally) to use helicopters as fire lookouts.
    — Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Hiking trails lead to lookouts, while paddleboards allow for spontaneous exploration of the private island's coastline.
    — CNT Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of lookout
Noun
  • The conflicting rulings from the 3rd and 9th circuit courts have provided an opportunity for the Supreme Court to get involved and review which regulator should have oversight of prediction markets, Bank of America said in a Monday note.
    — Ananya Chetia, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026
  • After injection begins, engineering oversight must track subsurface fluid movement.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of oversight
Noun
  • In addition to speech, our management of a localized fire for food, safety, and comfort is another uniquely human behavior, one that seems to have coincided with the development of complex spoken language.
    — Mike McRae September 02, New Atlas, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Shelley served as the Warriors’ associate general counsel and director of business and legal affairs and risk management, and Vasquez was the vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion.
    — Devon Henderson, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of management
Noun
  • Communities from Lansing, Michigan, to Pflugerville, Texas, are ending their relationship with Flock, largely over concerns regarding out-of-control surveillance, unwanted data sharing, high expenses, and reports of police abusing the tool.
    — Cyrus Farivar, ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2026
  • According to the sheriff's office, Awais used his property-management companies and his relationships with association board members to exert control over the organizations' operations and finances.
    — Chelsea Jones, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of control
Noun
  • The offenses range from non-law enforcement uses like stalking ex-partners to abusive policing tactics like aggressively following people across state lines to justify traffic stops.
    — Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 26 Aug. 2026
  • None of this means license-plate-reading technology has no place in policing.
    — Karl W. Bickel, Baltimore Sun, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of policing

Browse Nearby Words

surveil
surveillance
surveillances
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Surveillance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surveillance. Accessed 3 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
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!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All