surveyor
Americannoun
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a person whose occupation is surveying.
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an overseer or supervisor.
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Chiefly British. a person who inspects something officially for the purpose of ascertaining condition, value, etc.
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(formerly) a U.S. customs official responsible for ascertaining the quantity and value of imported merchandise.
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(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.
noun
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a person whose occupation is to survey land or buildings See also quantity surveyor
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a person concerned with the official inspection of something for purposes of measurement and valuation
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a person who carries out surveys, esp of ships ( marine surveyor ) to determine seaworthiness, etc
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a customs official
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archaic a supervisor
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of surveyor
1375–1425; late Middle English surveio ( u ) r < Anglo-French surveiour; Middle French surve ( i ) our, equivalent to surve ( i )- ( see survey) + -our -or 2
Explanation
A surveyor is someone who estimates or measures the dimensions of land. Surveyors help make maps, and are important when planning new buildings. To survey is to measure the dimensions of land, including acreage and altitude. A surveyor is an engineer who measures such dimensions as a profession. The government needs surveyors to map the boundaries of zones and districts. When constructing new buildings, surveyors help determine how much land is being built on, what size the building should be, and how the altitude might influence the process. If you like math, planning, and building, you might enjoy being a surveyor.
Vocabulary lists containing surveyor
My Brother Sam is Dead
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George Washington, Spymaster
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Race to the Sun
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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.
Patricia said the surveyor, recommended by the caller, visited her home and reported the insulation was "rock solid" and had prevented proper ventilation of the rafters, creating a risk of rot and potential roof collapse.
From BBC • May 10, 2026
A scion of northeastern Virginia, Washington first crossed the Blue Ridge Mountains during the course of his duties as a teenage surveyor in 1748.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
It narrates the bittersweet adventures of the titular astronomer and his surveyor sidekick who carved the boundary separating slave states from free.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026
Ibrahim, 52, is a former surveyor in Somaliland's capital Hargeisa, who quit his job in 2015 to try his luck.
From Barron's • Feb. 25, 2026
Something of a polymath, he was a Fellow of All Souls College in Oxford, physician to Edward VI and to Queen Mary, and sometime general surveyor of mines and money for the Crown.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
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.
