noun
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the study or practice of measuring altitudes, angles, and distances on the land surface so that they can be accurately plotted on a map
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the setting out on the ground of the positions of proposed construction or engineering works
Etymology
Origin of surveying
1425–75; late Middle English: act of examining closely; see survey, -ing 1
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.
As Rubin continues surveying the southern sky over the next decade, astronomers expect its observations to uncover additional objects that previous searches missed, potentially revealing more large, icy worlds in the outer solar system.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 14, 2026
“We lost our beaches and our trails within two weeks,” resident Rebecca Schwarz lamented as she stood with her partner, Todd, and their border collie, Bodie, surveying the Norte fire’s damage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
The Bog Grass Moth was found at Cors Geirch National Nature Reserve on the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd, as conservationists were surveying the area's species.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
It also turns the leaders of the AI companies into Lewis and Clark in coonskin caps with parchment maps, bravely surveying our country that it might understand its true size.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
The badger stepped back, surveying the surrounding forest with obvious confusion.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
