surveil

verb

sur·​veil sər-ˈvāl How to pronounce surveil (audio)
surveilled; surveilling

transitive verb

: to subject to surveillance

Examples of surveil in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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In public interviews and congressional hearings, officials like FBI director Christopher Wray have also suggested that TikTok gathers US user data that the Chinese government could weaponize to surveil Americans online. Makena Kelly, WIRED, 10 Jan. 2025 Gee did not clarify if its tech has been used to surveil immigrants. Thomas Brewster, Forbes, 25 Nov. 2024 Washington’s ability to surveil vast troves of financial data and keep money and technology out of the hands of its rivals could be hamstrung by infighting and by Trump’s tendency to change his mind on a whim. Henry Farrell, Foreign Affairs, 23 Dec. 2024 However, its darker purpose was to surveil and identify pro-democracy activists living in the U.S., aligning with the People's Republic of China's broader agenda of transnational repression. Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 19 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for surveil 

Word History

Etymology

back-formation from surveillance

First Known Use

1884, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of surveil was in 1884

Dictionary Entries Near surveil

Cite this Entry

“Surveil.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/surveil. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.

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