a soldier, warship, airplane, etc., employed in reconnoitering.
a person sent out to obtain information.
Sports.
a person who observes and reports on the techniques, players, etc., of opposing teams.
a person sent out by a team to observe and recommend new talent for recruitment.
a talent scout, as in the entertainment field.
an act or instance of reconnoitering, inspecting, observing, etc.
Sometimes Scout a Boy Scout or Girl Scout.
Informal. a person.
He's a good scout.
a man acting as servant to a student at Oxford University.
to act as a scout; reconnoiter.
to make a search; hunt.
to work as a talent scout.
to examine, inspect, or observe for the purpose of obtaining information; reconnoiter.
to scout the enemy's defenses.
to seek; search for (usually followed by out orup ).
to scout up a date for Friday night.
to find by seeking, searching, or looking (usually followed by out orup ).
Scout out a good book for me to read.
a person, ship, or aircraft sent out to gain information
military a person or unit despatched to reconnoitre the position of the enemy
sport a person employed by a club to seek new players
the act or an instance of scouting
(esp at Oxford University) a college servant Compare gyp 3
obsolete (in Britain) a patrolman of a motoring organization
informal a fellow or companion
to examine or observe (anything) in order to obtain information
(tr; sometimes foll by out or up) to seek
(intr) to act as a scout for a sports club
(intr; foll by about or around) to go in search (for)
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English verb scouten. skowten, from Old French escouter, escolter, ascolter ( French écouter “to listen”) from Late Latin ascultāre, Latin auscultāre “to listen, listen to”; Middle English noun scoute-, from Old French escoute, derivative of escouter; see origin at auscultation
First recorded in 1595–1605; perhaps from Old Norse skūta, skūti “abuse, taunting”; see also shout
When you explore or investigate an area, you scout. If your cat is missing, you might send your friends out to scout around the neighborhood. When you scout, you're searching for information; the word comes from the Old French escouter, "to listen for," and its Latin source, auscultare, "to listen attentively." And when you're searching under porches and in trees for your missing cat — also listening for his meows — you're acting as a scout, someone tasked with looking out for or finding something.
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Umar's body was later recovered, while the teenager's friends were supported by police officers at a nearby scout hut.
From BBC • Jul. 7, 2026
That same talent scout became my agent and sent me out for TV commercials and then bit parts on TV shows such as “NCIS,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Modern Family.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 30, 2026
Veiga was selected and caught the eye of a scout, who decided to take a chance on him.
From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026
Indya Stewart, 24, of Hollywood is another L.A. apartment scout.
From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026
Though Roosevelt had conceded to Rondon’s wish to stay, he pushed Rondon to send someone to scout the area ahead of them.
From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple
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.
