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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.

On the ground, Israeli troops have crossed the border to search homes and stake out what the military calls forward defensive positions on strategic hilltops.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 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

But to stake out an admittedly outrageous devil’s-advocate position, at least it would have been honest.

From Salon • Oct. 12, 2025

Different groupings are aligned with Burhan, with Hemedti, or trying to stake out a neutral position.

From BBC • Jun. 16, 2025

Morgan and I stake out opposite ends of the table, communicating only in glares.

From "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli

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.