as in inspections
a close look at or over someone or something in order to judge condition
a survey of the premises revealed that four of the exit doors were locked
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in interviews
to go around and approach (people) with a request for opinions or information
surveyed the medical residents and found out that 60% of them don't think they get enough sleep
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in reviews
to look over closely (as for judging quality or condition)
surveyed the books at the estate sale, fondly hoping to find a rare first edition
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 surveys
Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 28 Apr. 2026
Students were urged to complete surveys to guide the committee planning the design of the new space.
—Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026
Between 1996 and 2015, very few fourth graders — between 4 and 6 percent — reported being given no math homework the previous night, according to surveys from the Nation's Report Card.
—Ariel Gilreath, NPR, 28 Apr. 2026
Five canopy bridges were installed each with a camera trap, carefully positioned after surveys of orangutan nests, forest cover and animal movement.
—ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
Five canopy bridges were installed, each with a camera trap, carefully positioned after surveys of orangutan nests, forest cover and animal movement.
—CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, native desert bighorn sheep numbers dropped from about 1,500 in 2019 to fewer than 500 by 2024, with the most recent TPWD surveys in 2025 recording approximately 730 animals statewide.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 27 Apr. 2026
Research Methods and Implementation To gain insights into consumer behavior, researchers use the standard battery of market research methods such as surveys, depth interviews, and focus groups.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Apr. 2026
Leveraging this method has long been awaited by cosmologists, but only in recent years has data for both the CMB and for large-scale structure surveys become robust enough to yield a meaningful result like this.
—Big Think, 21 Apr. 2026
Sean Gregory, Time, 6 May 2026
Even with this week’s decrease, the average Miami-area price is more than a penny higher per gallon than a month ago and 98 cents higher than a year ago, according to GasBuddy, a national fuel monitoring service that surveys nearly 1,700 stations in South Florida.
—Miami Herald Staff, Miami Herald, 27 Apr. 2026
The Tate show, which surveys the efforts of Nigerian artists and artistic groups both before and after the country declared national independence from British colonial rule, underscores the spirit of self-determination, and of aesthetic and artistic inquiry, that drew Lawrence in the first place.
—Michael Lobel, Artforum, 1 Apr. 2026
The Swift Observatory is equipped with a Burst Alert Telescope that surveys a huge amount of the sky at once, looking for flashes of light and pinpointing their locations.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 26 Mar. 2026
The report surveys a total of 1,900 films released between 2007 and 2025.
—Angelique Jackson, Variety, 31 Dec. 2025
China surveys roughly 3,200 manufacturers and 4,300 non-manufacturing firms for the monthly PMI readings, which are seasonally adjusted and considered a leading indicator for economic momentum.
—Victor Loh, CNBC, 30 Nov. 2025
This year, celebrations are averaging nine attendees, the same as last year, according to Butterball's 2025 Togetherness Report, which surveys Thanksgiving hosts.
—Susan Selasky, Freep.com, 21 Nov. 2025
In his new, hefty cookbook that surveys the region, Recipes from the American South, the James Beard Award-winning author is teaching home cooks how to make food that better reflects the region's complex, messy and still-evolving history.
—Anastasia Tsioulcas, NPR, 15 Oct. 2025
Noun
Those reports came from Illinois and Arkansas, though officials caution the numbers are still preliminary and could change as National Weather Service damage surveys continue over the coming days.
—Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 28 Apr. 2026
Students were urged to complete surveys to guide the committee planning the design of the new space.
—Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026
Between 1996 and 2015, very few fourth graders — between 4 and 6 percent — reported being given no math homework the previous night, according to surveys from the Nation's Report Card.
—Ariel Gilreath, NPR, 28 Apr. 2026
Five canopy bridges were installed each with a camera trap, carefully positioned after surveys of orangutan nests, forest cover and animal movement.
—ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
Five canopy bridges were installed, each with a camera trap, carefully positioned after surveys of orangutan nests, forest cover and animal movement.
—CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, native desert bighorn sheep numbers dropped from about 1,500 in 2019 to fewer than 500 by 2024, with the most recent TPWD surveys in 2025 recording approximately 730 animals statewide.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 27 Apr. 2026
Research Methods and Implementation To gain insights into consumer behavior, researchers use the standard battery of market research methods such as surveys, depth interviews, and focus groups.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Apr. 2026
Leveraging this method has long been awaited by cosmologists, but only in recent years has data for both the CMB and for large-scale structure surveys become robust enough to yield a meaningful result like this.
—Big Think, 21 Apr. 2026
Verb
Donaldson, who has popped by to film a check-in with the contestants, surveys the chaos.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 6 May 2026
Even with this week’s decrease, the average Miami-area price is more than a penny higher per gallon than a month ago and 98 cents higher than a year ago, according to GasBuddy, a national fuel monitoring service that surveys nearly 1,700 stations in South Florida.
—Miami Herald Staff, Miami Herald, 27 Apr. 2026
The Tate show, which surveys the efforts of Nigerian artists and artistic groups both before and after the country declared national independence from British colonial rule, underscores the spirit of self-determination, and of aesthetic and artistic inquiry, that drew Lawrence in the first place.
—Michael Lobel, Artforum, 1 Apr. 2026
The Swift Observatory is equipped with a Burst Alert Telescope that surveys a huge amount of the sky at once, looking for flashes of light and pinpointing their locations.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 26 Mar. 2026
The report surveys a total of 1,900 films released between 2007 and 2025.
—Angelique Jackson, Variety, 31 Dec. 2025
China surveys roughly 3,200 manufacturers and 4,300 non-manufacturing firms for the monthly PMI readings, which are seasonally adjusted and considered a leading indicator for economic momentum.
—Victor Loh, CNBC, 30 Nov. 2025
This year, celebrations are averaging nine attendees, the same as last year, according to Butterball's 2025 Togetherness Report, which surveys Thanksgiving hosts.
—Susan Selasky, Freep.com, 21 Nov. 2025
In his new, hefty cookbook that surveys the region, Recipes from the American South, the James Beard Award-winning author is teaching home cooks how to make food that better reflects the region's complex, messy and still-evolving history.
—Anastasia Tsioulcas, NPR, 15 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surveys
Noun
-
Since inspections resumed following COVID-19 disruptions in 2021, UC Davis has received 15 violations across nine inspections, including critical violations involving animal injuries and enclosure failures.—
Corey Schmidt,
Sacbee.com,
7 May 2026
-
For properties that were found to have violations during inspections prompted by complaints instead of proactive city inspections, the re-inspection rate was dramatically lower at 46%.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
Amelia Tait interviews people who have taken on significant debt to visit the kingdom—nearly all of them express zero regrets.—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
The foundation also interviews survivors of other atrocities in the 20th century, including survivors of the Nanjing Massacre, Rwandan genocide and others.—
Imani Cruzen,
Twin Cities,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
There’s also the multi-state litigation against Nexstar-Tegna, which has stymied the integration of the two local TV station groups as the court reviews the claims that the tie-up is anticompetitive.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
8 May 2026
-
The stay is in place until next week while the high court reviews emergency appeals.—
Jen Christensen,
CNN Money,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
The incumbent has conducted fewer than 50 audits and reports during his tenure, which compares to more than 200 reports and audits conducted during his predecessor’s first term.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
4 May 2026
-
The controller uses audits and reports to hold entities and other governmental agencies accountable.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
Look for a service that monitors all three major credit bureaus, scans the dark web and alerts you to suspicious changes tied to your identity.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
10 May 2026
-
In addition to the two deputies stationed inside the board room during meetings, the sheriff’s office also scans bags and uses a magnetometer for visitors.—
A.D. Quig,
Chicago Tribune,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
Colleges are beginning to respond with interviews, oral examinations, and in-person assessments.—
Gerald Bradshaw,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Once the animals undergo forensic medical examinations, the PSPCA said charges for the people responsible could include animal cruelty and neglect, failure to provide access to clean and sanity shelter and lack of veterinary care.—
Alexandra Simon,
CBS News,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The book examines what Brownback describes as an increasingly sophisticated system of surveillance and repression targeting Christians, Uyghur Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists and Falun Gong practitioners.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
10 May 2026
-
These themes are explored further in his book, The AI Revolution is Here – Preparing the Workforce for Change, which examines how organizations can adapt to technological change while maintaining a human-centric focus.—
Daniel Fusch,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Tarrant County Public Health inspects all restaurants in the county except those in Fort Worth, Arlington, Euless and North Richland Hills.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 May 2026
-
Agriculture, land management, fire training and other industrial-type burning may proceed if a Cal Fire official inspects the burn site and issues a special permit.—
City News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Surveys.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surveys. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
