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.

---

scouting British  

/ ˈskaʊtɪŋ /

noun

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

   2. ( as modifier )

      the international Scouting movement

---

Other Word Forms

• scoutingly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of scouting

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

Example Sentences

In the British Basketball League of the late 1990s, scouting rival teams wasn’t as simple as pulling up game film on an iPad.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026

“People assumed I was a good defender—no, I just read Finchy’s scouting report.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026

Ostensibly, Snead and McVay stepped aside to give assistant general manager John McKay and Nicole Blake, the director of scouting, strategy and analytics, experience dealing with questions from reporters, which they handled with aplomb.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 25, 2026

Hortiz said Mesidor’s standout play in the postseason with Miami coupled with how he impressed them at the NFL scouting combine ultimately played big factors in their decision to draft him.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2026

Read about him doing that on the scouting report.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger

Related Words

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