survey.

¹ American  

abbreviation

1. surveying.

---

survey ² American  

[ser-vey, sur-vey, ser-vey] / sərˈveɪ, ˈsɜr veɪ, sərˈveɪ /

verb (used with object)

1. to take a general or comprehensive view of or appraise, as a situation, area of study, etc.

2. to view in detail, especially to inspect, examine, or appraise formally or officially in order to ascertain condition, value, etc.

3. to conduct a survey of or among.

   to survey TV viewers.

4. 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.

---

verb (used without object)

1. to survey land; practice surveying.

noun

plural

surveys

1. an act or instance of surveying or of taking a comprehensive view of something.

   The course is a survey of Italian painting.

2. a formal or official examination of the particulars of something, made in order to ascertain condition, character, etc.

3. a statement or description embodying the result of this.

   They presented their survey to the board of directors.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. the plan or description resulting from such an operation.

7. an agency for making determinations.

   U.S. Geological Survey.

survey British  

verb

1. (tr) to view or consider in a comprehensive or general way

   to survey the situation

2. (tr) to examine carefully, as or as if to appraise value

   to survey oneself in a mirror

3. to plot a detailed map of (an area of land) by measuring or calculating distances and height

4. to inspect a building to determine its condition and value

5. to examine a vessel thoroughly in order to determine its seaworthiness

6. (tr) to run a statistical survey on (incomes, opinions, etc)

---

noun

1. a comprehensive or general view

   a survey of English literature

2. a critical, detailed, and formal inspection

   a survey of the nation's hospitals

3. an inspection of a building to determine its condition and value

4. a report incorporating the results of such an inspection

5. 1. a body of surveyors

   2. an area surveyed

6. statistics a random sample

Other Word Forms

• presurvey noun
• self-survey noun
• self-surveyed adjective
• surveyable adjective
• unsurveyable adjective
• unsurveyed adjective

Etymology

Origin of survey

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; video ( def. ), vision ( def. ) )

Example Sentences

The December reading beat a median forecast for an 8.3% rise in a Wall Street Journal survey of 11 economists.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Yet many people surveyed choose not to set up a 529 plan account, instead setting aside college funds in a regular savings or brokerage account, if at all.”

From MarketWatch

Refinery runs were forecast to have fallen by a half percentage point in the Journal survey.

From The Wall Street Journal

An informal survey of my Vietnamese friends and family in the United States yielded a similar lack of recognition.

From Salon

Canadian professor Newman uses archaeological terms for the process: surveying, gridding, digging and sifting.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• assess
• canvass
• check
• check out
• estimate
• evaluate
• examine
• inspect
• look over
• observe
• overlook
• oversee
• review
• scan
• supervise