reconnaissance

American  

[ri-kon-uh-suhns, -zuhns] / rɪˈkɒn ə səns, -zəns /

Or reconnoissance

noun

reconnaissances plural

1. the act of reconnoitering.

2. Military. a search made for useful military information in the field, especially by examining the ground.

3. Surveying, Civil Engineering. a general examination or survey of a region, usually followed by a detailed survey.

4. Geology. an examination or survey of the general geological characteristics of a region.

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reconnaissance British  

/ rɪˈkɒnɪsəns /

noun

1. the act of reconnoitring

2. the process of obtaining information about the position, activities, resources, etc, of an enemy or potential enemy

3. a preliminary inspection of an area of land before an engineering survey is made

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• reconnaissances
  plural

Etymology

Origin of reconnaissance

1800–10; < French; Middle French reconoissance recognizance

Explanation

Reconnaissance is checking out a situation before taking action. Often it’s used as a military term, but you could also do reconnaissance on a new employee before you hire her, or a resort before you take a vacation. Reconnaissance is a noun, and it technically means “the act of reconnoitering.” Whoa. Never heard that word before? Reconnoitering is just a fancy way of saying that you’re checking something out — sometimes in a sneaky way. If you like a girl in your Spanish class, you might ask a friend to do some reconnaissance to find out what she’s like. The word comes from the French reconnaître, which means “recognize.”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

reconnaissance reconnaissances

Moreover, North Korea doesn’t have the massive satellite networks that allow countries like the U.S. and Russia to undertake advanced reconnaissance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

He said crews were "doing all we possibly can to try and stop this fire from spreading any further", including dropping water from helicopters and carrying out reconnaissance with drones and aircraft.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

"Military reconnaissance takes on a different meaning under a state-to-state approach, as intelligence activities targeting another sovereign state can carry diplomatic implications," he told AFP.

From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026

The objective was to deliver the plane before the country’s 250th birthday festivities, said Jason Lambert, president of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance at L3Harris Technologies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026

Thanks to his military training, Powell knows the value of reconnaissance.

From "Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever" by Bill O'Reilly

There will be reconnaissances to Trent Bridge to have a look at Australia's opener, Ed Cowan, who has signed for Nottinghamshire for the early part of the season.

From The Guardian ● Apr. 6, 2013

Since then there have been three major reconnaissances of nerves.

From Time Magazine Archive

Taylor was harder on himself than anyone, making personal reconnaissances by Jeep, risking injury unnecessarily by sitting stubbornly at a staff table while shells fell in the courtyard outside.

From Time Magazine Archive

As an intelligence officer, Mowat is particularly vulnerable when he delivers messages and undertakes reconnaissances.

From Time Magazine Archive

In spite of the most complete reconnaissances the trenches remained hidden, and the Boers held their fire, refusing to be drawn into showing their exact whereabouts till an attack was made in force.

From With Rifle and Bayonet A Story of the Boer War by Brereton, F. S. (Frederick Sadleir)

Related Words

• exploration
• surveillance