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• survey
  survey

  verb (used with object)

  to take a general or comprehensive view of or appraise, as a situation, area of study, etc.
• survey.
  survey.

  abbreviation

  surveying.

survey

¹ American  

[ser-vay, sur-vay, ser-vay] / sərˈveɪ, ˈsɜr veɪ, sərˈveɪ /

verb (used with object)

• surveys,
  present (3rd person singular)
• surveyed,
  past participle,  past
• surveying
  present participle

1. to take a general or comprehensive view of or appraise, as a situation, area of study, etc.

2. to view in detail, especially to inspect, examine, or appraise formally or officially in order to ascertain condition, value, etc.

3. to conduct a survey of or among.

   to survey TV viewers.

4. to determine the exact form, boundaries, position, extent, etc., of (a tract of land, section of a country, etc.) by linear and angular measurements and the application of the principles of geometry and trigonometry.

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verb (used without object)

• surveys,
  present (3rd person singular)
• surveyed,
  past participle,  past
• surveying
  present participle

1. to survey land; practice surveying.

noun

• surveys
  plural

1. an act or instance of surveying or of taking a comprehensive view of something.

   The course is a survey of Italian painting.

2. a formal or official examination of the particulars of something, made in order to ascertain condition, character, etc.

3. a statement or description embodying the result of this.

   They presented their survey to the board of directors.

4. a sampling, or partial collection, of facts, figures, or opinions taken and used to approximate or indicate what a complete collection and analysis might reveal.

   The survey showed the percentage of the population that planned to vote.

5. the act of determining the exact form, boundaries, position, etc., as of a tract of land or section of a country, by linear measurements, angular measurements, etc.

6. the plan or description resulting from such an operation.

7. an agency for making determinations.

   U.S. Geological Survey.

survey. ² American  

abbreviation

1. surveying.

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survey British  

verb

1. (tr) to view or consider in a comprehensive or general way

   to survey the situation

2. (tr) to examine carefully, as or as if to appraise value

   to survey oneself in a mirror

3. to plot a detailed map of (an area of land) by measuring or calculating distances and height

4. to inspect a building to determine its condition and value

5. to examine a vessel thoroughly in order to determine its seaworthiness

6. (tr) to run a statistical survey on (incomes, opinions, etc)

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noun

1. a comprehensive or general view

   a survey of English literature

2. a critical, detailed, and formal inspection

   a survey of the nation's hospitals

3. an inspection of a building to determine its condition and value

4. a report incorporating the results of such an inspection

5. 1. a body of surveyors

   2. an area surveyed

6. statistics a random sample

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• presurvey
  noun
• self-survey
  noun
• presurvey
  verb (used with object)
• self-surveyed
  adjective
• surveyable
  adjective
• unsurveyable
  adjective
• unsurveyed
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• surveys
  plural

Participles

• surveying
  present
• surveyed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• survey
  simple
• surveys
  simple
• have surveyed
  perfect
• has surveyed
  perfect
• am surveying
  progressive
• are surveying
  progressive
• is surveying
  progressive
• have been surveying
  perfect progressive
• has been surveying
  perfect progressive

Past

• surveyed
  simple
• had surveyed
  perfect
• was surveying
  progressive
• were surveying
  progressive
• had been surveying
  perfect progressive

Future

• will survey
  simple
• will have surveyed
  perfect
• will be surveying
  progressive
• will have been surveying
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of survey

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English surveien (verb), from Anglo-French surveier, Middle French surv(e)ier, surveoir “to oversee,” from sur- sur- ¹ + v(e)ier “to see” (from Latin vidēre; cf. video ( def. ), vision ( def. ))

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Explanation

The verb survey means to look something over. When you buy your first home, it's a pleasure to stand on the porch and survey your property. Survey has several meanings, all of which come from Medieval Latin and Anglo words for looking over. As a noun, survey can mean a detailed study of something, but it also means a short summary with a broad view. A survey course gives an overview of a particular subject area, but doesn't make you an expert. Survey is also a verb. If you survey an area hit by an earthquake, you look closely at it to measure the damage.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

survey survey. surveys surveyed surveying

Helping push yields up was a Treasury department survey of bond dealers that didn’t signal a cut in the size of future longer-term debt auctions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

The investigation began when Caitlin Bloomer pulled an enormous Crawzilla crawdad from the mud during a biological survey in Kentucky.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

Half of France's secondary schools were missing at least one teacher as the school year started in September, according to a survey of more than 1,000 schools conducted by the Snes-FSU teacher union.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

Retail sales, the Philadelphia Federal Reserve business-outlook survey, weekly jobless claims and the producer-price index are due at 8:30 a.m.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026

He climbed to the very top of his tree and made a survey.

From "Abel's Island" by William Steig

“The real test of Jewish voting intentions is not contained in our survey. It would be in the state of Florida,” said David Harris, chief executive of the AJC, a nonpartisan advocacy organization.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 12, 2019

“But all these assumptions can be refuted by the results of this survey. The survey results clearly show that veiled women are often harassed, even during the day.”

From The Guardian ● Jul. 17, 2019

“The prevailing view among publics around the world is that the United States remains the top global economic power, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. “

From Washington Times ● Jul. 13, 2017

With a Map, taken from the most recent survey. 8vo.

From Landolin by Berthold Auerbach

Hugi's cabin. of the Aar. in the winter. the Rosenlaui. boring. glacier wells. caves of the Viescher. capillary fissures. formation of crevasses. sundials. topographical survey. stratification of neve. new work.

From Louis Agassiz: His Life and Correspondence by Louis Agassiz

As the next generation of astronomical surveys identifies growing numbers of tidal disruption events, researchers will face an increasingly difficult challenge in deciding which ones deserve closer attention.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

But Hinojosa has been ahead in a few recent surveys.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026

What those repairs will entail, exactly, appears yet to be determined, as the agency reviews surveys and drone footage “to determine the most effective path forward,” Smith said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026

Evidence about the true level of autism relies on surveys that have not been done for nine years, so the review team have had to estimate what has happened since.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

And stayed silent for some time, even while she did another of her tree-climbing surveys of the surrounding area.

From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein

"Four-in-five drivers we've surveyed believe they are a 'rip-off', with just one-in-10 understanding why airports charge what they do."

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

Meanwhile, China’s consumer-price index rose 0.9% from a year earlier, faster than August’s 0.8% growth and slightly below the 1.0% increase expected by economists surveyed in the WSJ poll.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

Six in 10 surveyed hoteliers expect an Olympic rental surge to hurt their bookings and rates, the report says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

In fact, 37% of surveyed diners said they were going out to eat less often than they did the year before, with most citing higher prices as their main reason for staying in.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026

From my spot, I surveyed the scenery and noticed few signs of the war that had decimated our lives.

From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson

Scientists surveying underwater mountains off Costa Rica have identified a remarkable new coral that is unlike any known coral family.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026

As surveying continues through 2026, the CRT hopes to build a clearer picture of dormouse populations across its farms and use the findings to guide future habitat management.

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026

But surveying the coverage, I can’t help but notice that their hearts just aren’t in it these days, and that your grandpa’s favorite talking heads would rather discuss, um, another hot topic.

From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026

Poor Arch is surveying his options and wondering if it’s too late to learn how to play lacrosse.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

“Sometimes he prefers to be out in the fields. Like he’s surveying the land. Watching over it. I told your mother you need to see the landscape for yourself to decide what to do.”

From "Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish" by Pablo Cartaya

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Related Words

• assess
• canvass
• check
• check out
• estimate
• evaluate
• examine
• inspect
• look over
• observe
• overlook
• oversee
• review
• scan
• supervise

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