scout

¹ American  

[skout] / skaʊt /

noun

1. a soldier, warship, airplane, etc., employed in reconnoitering.

2. a person sent out to obtain information.

3. Sports.

   1. a person who observes and reports on the techniques, players, etc., of opposing teams.

   2. a person sent out by a team to observe and recommend new talent for recruitment.

4. a talent scout, as in the entertainment field.

5. an act or instance of reconnoitering, inspecting, observing, etc.

6. Sometimes Scout a Boy Scout or Girl Scout.

7. Informal. a person.

   He's a good scout.

8. a man acting as servant to a student at Oxford University.

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verb (used without object)

1. to act as a scout; reconnoiter.

2. to make a search; hunt.

3. to work as a talent scout.

verb (used with object)

1. to examine, inspect, or observe for the purpose of obtaining information; reconnoiter.

   to scout the enemy's defenses.

2. to seek; search for (usually followed by out orup ).

   to scout up a date for Friday night.

3. to find by seeking, searching, or looking (usually followed by out orup ).

   Scout out a good book for me to read.

scout ² American  

[skout] / skaʊt /

verb (used with object)

1. to treat with scorn; dismiss.

2. to make fun of; deride; mock.

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verb (used without object)

1. to scoff; jeer.

scout ¹ British  

/ skaʊt /

noun

1. a person, ship, or aircraft sent out to gain information

2. military a person or unit despatched to reconnoitre the position of the enemy

3. sport a person employed by a club to seek new players

4. the act or an instance of scouting

5. (esp at Oxford University) a college servant Compare gyp 3

6. obsolete (in Britain) a patrolman of a motoring organization

7. informal a fellow or companion

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verb

1. to examine or observe (anything) in order to obtain information

2. (tr; sometimes foll by out or up) to seek

3. (intr) to act as a scout for a sports club

4. (intr; foll by about or around) to go in search (for)

Scout ² British  

/ skaʊt /

noun

1. (sometimes not capital) a boy or (in some countries) a girl who is a member of a worldwide movement (the Scout Association ) founded as the Boy Scouts in England in 1908 by Lord Baden-Powell with the aim of developing character and responsibility See also Air Scout Girl Scout Guide Sea Scout Venture Scout

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scout ³ British  

/ skaʊt /

verb

1. archaic to reject (a person or thing) with contempt

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scout Idioms  

1. see good egg (scout).

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Other Word Forms

• scouter noun

Etymology

Origin of scout¹

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

Origin of scout²

First recorded in 1595–1605; perhaps from Old Norse skūta, skūti “abuse, taunting”; see also shout

Explanation

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.

Example Sentences

Jeremiah spent two more years with Philadelphia as a West Coast scout before taking an analyst job with NFL Network.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2026

Once Chester realized that this mysterious D-III flamethrower was, in fact, real, he reached out to Ed Santa, a longtime Colorado Rockies scout who covered Western Pennsylvania.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026

Liverpool-born Andy Mangan, opposition scout for Brazil this summer, remembers it as an education.

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026

As a scout and general manager, he was a key architect of the Showtime Lakers teams of the 1980s and later acquired both Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal to build another dynasty.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026

“Well, you better not give me away. I have a scout in civilization who follows all these stories.”

From "My Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George

Related Words

• examine
• explore
• inspect