to take a general or comprehensive view of or appraise, as a situation, area of study, etc.
to view in detail, especially to inspect, examine, or appraise formally or officially in order to ascertain condition, value, etc.
to conduct a survey of or among.
to survey TV viewers.
to determine the exact form, boundaries, position, extent, etc., of (a tract of land, section of a country, etc.) by linear and angular measurements and the application of the principles of geometry and trigonometry.
an act or instance of surveying or of taking a comprehensive view of something.
The course is a survey of Italian painting.
a formal or official examination of the particulars of something, made in order to ascertain condition, character, etc.
a statement or description embodying the result of this.
They presented their survey to the board of directors.
a sampling, or partial collection, of facts, figures, or opinions taken and used to approximate or indicate what a complete collection and analysis might reveal.
The survey showed the percentage of the population that planned to vote.
the act of determining the exact form, boundaries, position, etc., as of a tract of land or section of a country, by linear measurements, angular measurements, etc.
the plan or description resulting from such an operation.
an agency for making determinations.
U.S. Geological Survey.
(tr) to view or consider in a comprehensive or general way
to survey the situation
(tr) to examine carefully, as or as if to appraise value
to survey oneself in a mirror
to plot a detailed map of (an area of land) by measuring or calculating distances and height
to inspect a building to determine its condition and value
to examine a vessel thoroughly in order to determine its seaworthiness
(tr) to run a statistical survey on (incomes, opinions, etc)
a comprehensive or general view
a survey of English literature
a critical, detailed, and formal inspection
a survey of the nation's hospitals
an inspection of a building to determine its condition and value
a report incorporating the results of such an inspection
a body of surveyors
an area surveyed
statistics a random sample
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English surveien (verb), from Anglo-French surveier, Middle French surv(e)ier, surveoir “to oversee,” from sur- sur- 1 + v(e)ier “to see” (from Latin vidēre; cf. video ( def. ), vision ( def. ))
The verb survey means to look something over. When you buy your first home, it's a pleasure to stand on the porch and survey your property. Survey has several meanings, all of which come from Medieval Latin and Anglo words for looking over. As a noun, survey can mean a detailed study of something, but it also means a short summary with a broad view. A survey course gives an overview of a particular subject area, but doesn't make you an expert. Survey is also a verb. If you survey an area hit by an earthquake, you look closely at it to measure the damage.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
There is a picture postcard of a sailboat at sunset below what Sy calls his "mind stimulators," words of advice on how best to study: SURVEY, QUESTION, READ, REVIEW, RECITE.
From Time Magazine Archive
But for a more particular account, see Stow's SURVEY, ed.
From The Lucasta Poems by Lovelace, Richard
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.
