surveil

[ ser-veyl ]

/ sərˈveɪl /

Save This Word!

verb (used with object), sur·veilled, sur·veil·ling.

to place under surveillance.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON “ITS” VS. “IT’S”!

Apostrophes can be tricky; prove you know the difference between "it’s" and "its" in this crafty quiz!

Question 1 of 8

On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.

it's

its

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of surveil

First recorded in 1965–70; back formation from surveillance

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use surveil in a sentence

Included in these documents were Hong Kong and Chinese IP addresses that the NSA was surveilling.
Snowden’s Beijing Benefactors?|Gordon G. Chang|January 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Al-Ruqai is specifically charged with surveilling the U.S. embassy in Nairobi in preparation for the attack.
Gripping His Koran, Anas al-Liby Has His Day in Court|Michael Daly|October 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST
FBI agents are said to have observed him surveilling his alleged target on August 9.
Undercover Muslim Agents: Mission Accomplished|Michael Daly|October 19, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Eventually, the organization was surveilling much of the American left.
A Jewish Group's Shameful Smear|Michelle Goldberg|October 15, 2010|DAILY BEAST

Investigators had been surveilling Zazi for quite some time.
Feds on a Terror Tear|Karen Greenberg, Francesca Laguardia|September 29, 2009|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for surveil

surveil

/ (sɜːˈveɪl) /

verb (tr)

to observe closely the activities of (a person or group)

Word Origin for surveil

C20: back formation from surveillance

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012