scouting

American  

[skou-ting] / ˈskaʊ tɪŋ /

noun

1. an act or instance of reconnoitering; reconnaissance.

2. the activities of a scout or scouts.

3. (often initial capital letter) the program of activities of the Boy Scouts or the Girl Scouts.

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scouting British  

/ ˈskaʊtɪŋ /

noun

1. 1. the activities, programmes, principles, etc, of the Scout Association

   2. ( as modifier )

      the international Scouting movement

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Other Word Forms

• scoutingly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of scouting

First recorded in 1635–45; scout ¹ + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

scouting

Andre Villas-Boas, the president of FC Porto, told BBC Sport that the Portuguese club has had to step up their scouting efforts instead of getting into bidding wars they cannot win.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

Neto was talking about the call Trout made to “some of the Rams guys” for a scouting report on Kroenke.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

Some families who objected to those policies helped fuel explicitly Christian scouting alternatives.

From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026

Last season, two of her younger brothers were also relieved of their duties in the Lakers’ scouting department.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

“There is no need for another scouting mission.”

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera

Related Words

• aloof
• arrogant
• averse
• contemptuous
• derisive
• haughty
• unsympathetic