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; 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.
On a recent Sunday, he and his mother, Alice, sighed while surveying what had been their house on Mendocino Street, about a mile west of Harris’ home.
From Los Angeles Times
The company provides drone services for industrial clients, from aerial surveying and mapping to inspection and agriculture.
From BBC
"How do I feel seeing my home, the one I've lived in for so long, destroyed like this? I feel like crying," she said, surveying the damage.
From Barron's
"There was a litany of errors committed at almost every stage by many different people," the commission said, referring to the boat's design, construction and surveying.
From Barron's
Mizuho analyst John Baumgartner, who has been surveying consumers’ leftover habits for 15 years, said 49% of respondents in October reported eating more leftovers than six months ago, a record since the survey began.
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.