reconnoiter

American  

[ree-kuh-noi-ter, rek-uh-] / ˌri kəˈnɔɪ tər, ˌrɛk ə- /

verb (used with object)

1. to inspect, observe, or survey (the enemy, the enemy's strength or position, a region, etc.) in order to gain information for military purposes.

2. to examine or survey (a region, area, etc.) for engineering, geological, or other purposes.

---

verb (used without object)

1. to make a reconnaissance.

Other Word Forms

• reconnoiterer noun
• unreconnoitered adjective

Etymology

Origin of reconnoiter

1700–10; < French reconnoître (now obsolete) to explore, Middle French reconoistre. See recognize

Example Sentences

Filled with hydrogen, they were used to reconnoiter enemy positions, their passengers hand-sketching battlefield maps.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026

When Liddy and Hunt go to reconnoiter the psychiatrist’s office, they wear terrible wigs by way of disguise.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2023

A week later, Chelsea Gerlach was sitting in a hotel room, preparing to reconnoiter a potential target, when she saw on TV that a pair of planes had crashed into the World Trade Center.

From New York Times • May 26, 2022

On Aug. 18, 2009, two days before a national election, I was supposed to partner with Afghan army forces to reconnoiter local polling sites.

From Washington Post • Aug. 20, 2021

Absorbed in his plans, Dick did not notice a patrol car pass him, slow down, reconnoiter.

From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote