survey

[ verb ser-vey; noun sur-vey, ser-vey ]

/ verb sərˈveɪ; noun ˈsɜr veɪ, sərˈveɪ /

verb (used with object)

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.

verb (used without object)

to survey land; practice surveying.

noun, plural sur·veys.

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.

Words nearby survey

surv., surveil, surveillance, surveillance society, surveillant, survey, survey course, survey., surveying, surveyor, surveyor's chain

Origin of survey

1425–75; late Middle English surveien (v.) < Anglo-French surveier, Middle French surv(e)ier, surveoir to oversee, equivalent to sur- sur-¹ + v(e)ier < Latin vidēre to see

OTHER WORDS FROM survey

sur·vey·a·ble, adjectivepre·sur·vey, nounpre·sur·vey, verb (used with object)self-sur·vey, noun

self-sur·veyed, adjectiveun·sur·vey·a·ble, adjectiveun·sur·veyed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for presurvey

survey

verb (sɜːˈveɪ, ˈsɜːveɪ)

(tr) to view or consider in a comprehensive or general wayto survey the situation

(tr) to examine carefully, as or as if to appraise valueto survey oneself in a mirror

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

British 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)

noun (ˈsɜːveɪ)

a comprehensive or general viewa survey of English literature

a critical, detailed, and formal inspectiona survey of the nation's hospitals

British 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

Derived forms of survey

surveyable, adjective

Word Origin for survey

C15: from French surveoir, from sur- 1 + veoir to see, from Latin vidēre

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012