stake·out
ˈstāk-ˌau̇t 
: a surveillance maintained by the police of an area or a person suspected of criminal activity
staked out; staking out; stakes out
1
: to assign (someone, such as a police officer) to an area usually to conduct a surveillance
2
: to maintain a stakeout of
3
: to claim as one's own
Examples of stakeout in a Sentence
Noun
The drug deal was witnessed during a stakeout of the building.
The police were on a stakeout.
Recent Examples on the Web
Teja Chekuri, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024
There are fewer of the ambitious yearslong stakeouts that produced genre-defining classics such as Hoop Dreams, American Movie, and Paris Is Burning.
—Lane Brown, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2024
Joey Garrison, USA TODAY, 26 Jan. 2025
Zuckerberg staked out a free-speech position in a 2019 speech at Georgetown.
—Scott Rosenberg, Axios, 8 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for stakeout 
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Noun
So do your homework and maybe even a little undercover stakeout.
—Teja Chekuri, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024
There are fewer of the ambitious yearslong stakeouts that produced genre-defining classics such as Hoop Dreams, American Movie, and Paris Is Burning.
—Lane Brown, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2024
Verb
Indoors, there were more lines, as Trump fans waited to purchase concession stand snacks, and women staked out the restroom.
—Joey Garrison, USA TODAY, 26 Jan. 2025
Zuckerberg staked out a free-speech position in a 2019 speech at Georgetown.
—Scott Rosenberg, Axios, 8 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for stakeout
Dictionary Entries Near stakeout
Cite this Entry
“Stakeout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stakeout. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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