stakeout

1 of 2

noun

stake·​out ˈstāk-ˌau̇t How to pronounce stakeout (audio)
: a surveillance maintained by the police of an area or a person suspected of criminal activity

stake out

2 of 2

verb

staked out; staking out; stakes out

transitive verb

1
: to assign (someone, such as a police officer) to an area usually to conduct a surveillance
2
: to maintain a stakeout of
3
: to claim as one's own

Examples of stakeout in a Sentence

Noun The drug deal was witnessed during a stakeout of the building. The police were on a stakeout.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Noun
Left to do nothing but watch their target on hidden cams, Bravo’s stakeout turned into what Friends‘ Ross might call Truth Day. Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 1 Sep. 2024 There’s a coda with Axel, Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and Taggart (John Ashton) that recreates their famous stakeout in the first film. Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 July 2024
Verb
Colorado's leaders are staking out positions on key ballot questions in the 2024 election and splits are emerging in former alliances. John Frank, Axios, 22 Oct. 2024 In their bid to become the next U.S. president, Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump have staked out fundamentally different positions on such divisive topics as reproductive rights, immigration, the economy, and the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine. Byjeffrey Mervis, science.org, 16 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for stakeout 

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1942, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1951, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of stakeout was circa 1942

Dictionary Entries Near stakeout

Cite this Entry

“Stakeout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stakeout. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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