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Synonyms

stake out

Idioms  
  1. Keep an area or person under police surveillance; also, assign someone to conduct such a surveillance. For example, They staked out the house, or He was staked out in the alley, watching for drug dealers. [c. 1940]


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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Justices who want to stake out their lane in American cultural or civic life can, and are doing so, in their opinions or in their books.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

Certain members agreed to stake out high-traffic locations during their lunch breaks, or if they were working remotely.

From Slate ● Oct. 27, 2025

It was why one of the first things I did that Friday morning, one day before the RunningLane championships, was stake out a good location within John Hunt Park for our tent.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2025

“Peacemaker” isn’t covering any ground that many other movies and TV shows didn’t stake out first.

From Salon ● Aug. 21, 2025

Just imagine the life you can stake out for yourself.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan

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