stakeout

1 of 2

noun

stake·​out ˈstāk-ˌau̇t How to pronounce stakeout (audio)
: a surveillance maintained by the police of an area or a person suspected of criminal activity

stake out

2 of 2

verb

staked out; staking out; stakes out

transitive verb

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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 

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1942, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1951, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of stakeout was circa 1942

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.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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