to take a general or comprehensive view of or appraise, as a situation, area of study, etc.
to view in detail, especially to inspect, examine, or appraise formally or officially in order to ascertain condition, value, etc.
to conduct a survey of or among.
to survey TV viewers.
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.
an act or instance of surveying or of taking a comprehensive view of something.
The course is a survey of Italian painting.
a formal or official examination of the particulars of something, made in order to ascertain condition, character, etc.
a statement or description embodying the result of this.
They presented their survey to the board of directors.
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.
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.
the plan or description resulting from such an operation.
an agency for making determinations.
U.S. Geological Survey.
(tr) to view or consider in a comprehensive or general way
to survey the situation
(tr) to examine carefully, as or as if to appraise value
to survey oneself in a mirror
to plot a detailed map of (an area of land) by measuring or calculating distances and height
to inspect a building to determine its condition and value
to examine a vessel thoroughly in order to determine its seaworthiness
(tr) to run a statistical survey on (incomes, opinions, etc)
a comprehensive or general view
a survey of English literature
a critical, detailed, and formal inspection
a survey of the nation's hospitals
an inspection of a building to determine its condition and value
a report incorporating the results of such an inspection
a body of surveyors
an area surveyed
statistics a random sample
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. ))
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.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Every new survey adds another chapter to a dataset that allows scientists to ask questions across timescales that are almost impossible anywhere else in the world," she said.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
In my view, at the time of the survey, the financial advisers were focused on the stock market — and a strong market meant that all was right with the world.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
Another Harvard survey shows young adults under 25 self-reporting anxiety at double the rate of teenagers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
The Times’ survey turned up two senior InterPositive roles to update the programming to apply AI to visual effects .
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
As late as 1988 more than half of all American paleontologists contacted in a survey continued to believe that the extinction of the dinosaurs was in no way related to an asteroid or cometary impact.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
“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 Auerbach, Berthold
The baroque painters of Italy; an introductory historical survey. © 24May34; A74070.
From U.S. Copyright Renewals, 1961 July - December by Library of Congress. Copyright Office
"Our recent visitor surveys show that around one in five foreign tourists considers cooler summer temperatures to be one of the reasons for choosing Norway" it said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
S&P Global surveys find rising inflation and supply woes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
U.S. economic data due Friday include the S&P flash services and manufacturing purchasing managers surveys for July, released at 9:45 a.m.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
Latino entrepreneurs who participated in focus groups and surveys described fewer customers, reduced operating hours, canceled orders, staffing disruptions, depleted savings and accumulated debt.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Recent surveys by Margaret Poloma, a historian at the University of Akron in Ohio, found Assemblies members more educated and better off than the general public.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
Of the students surveyed after receiving services, Safe at Home indicated that 99% reported feeling safer and 93% said they used the tools they learned in counseling.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
Meta Platforms is projected to report negative free cash flow when it releases second-quarter results next week, according to analysts surveyed by FactSet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
The analysts said that the veterinarians they surveyed filled 11% of prescriptions through Chewy, with companies like PetMed and Vetsource accounting for a smaller share.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
Revenue rose 2.3% to $31.6 billion and compared with the forecast of analysts surveyed by FactSet of $31.8 billion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
He surveyed Otto’s troops, basked in his supremacy.
From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles
This image is part of a Hubble Treasury program that is surveying approximately half of the Milky Way's known globular clusters.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 5, 2026
"When I opened it in the seventies, I was still a young man... now nothing is left," he said, leaning heavily on a walking stick and surveying the vast destruction.
From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026
However security is handled, there will be no ICE officers surveying the crowd with facial-recognition software and abducting people for unstated reasons.
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026
The ranking resulted from surveying more than 24,000 city residents worldwide and gathering insights from a panel of Time Out experts and editors.
From BBC ● May 13, 2026
European knowledge of Mount Everest depends on a long history of discovery, exploration, surveying and cartography.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
