surveyor

[ser-vey-er]

noun

1. a person whose occupation is surveying. surveying.

2. an overseer or supervisor.

3. Chiefly British.,  a person who inspects something officially for the purpose of ascertaining condition, value, etc.

4. (formerly) a U.S. customs official responsible for ascertaining the quantity and value of imported merchandise.

5. (initial capital letter),  one of a series of space probes (1966–68) that analyzed lunar soil and obtained other scientific information after soft-landing on the moon.

surveyor

/ sɜːˈveɪə /

noun

1. a person whose occupation is to survey land or buildings See also quantity surveyor

2. a person concerned with the official inspection of something for purposes of measurement and valuation

3. a person who carries out surveys, esp of ships ( marine surveyor ) to determine seaworthiness, etc

4. a customs official

5. archaic,  a supervisor

Other Word Forms

• surveyorship noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of surveyor¹

1375–1425; late Middle English surveio ( u ) r < Anglo-French surveiour; Middle French surve ( i ) our, equivalent to surve ( i )- ( survey ) + -our -or ²

Example Sentences

But mum Monika, a quantity surveyor based near Milton Keynes, said she had "no idea how difficult it would be" to find a new place for their son.

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While surveyors’ ability to collect real-time data has been “lost forever,” says Daco, the agency could access company data, which would provide a partial and less granular view.

Read more on Barron's

However, "bad design and bad workmanship" on the Fishwick project meant that rainwater got trapped behind the insulation and penetrated walls in houses such as the Rashids', according to building surveyor David Walter.

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A surveyor had marked the correct property line with stakes when her son was killed, she said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

That means it couldn’t deploy surveyors to the field to collect the real-time pricing data needed to help generate the inflation index.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• assessor 
• cartographer