survey

1 of 2

verb

sur·​vey sər-ˈvā  ˈsər-ˌvā 

surveyed; surveying

transitive verb

1

a

: to examine as to condition, situation, or value : appraise

b

: to query (someone) in order to collect data for the analysis of some aspect of a group or area

2

: to determine and delineate the form, extent, and position of (such as a tract of land) by taking linear and angular measurements and by applying the principles of geometry and trigonometry

3

: to view or consider comprehensively

4

: inspect, scrutinize

he surveyed us in a lordly way

—Alan Harrington

intransitive verb

: to make a survey

survey

2 of 2

noun

sur·​vey ˈsər-ˌvā  sər-ˈvā 

plural surveys

1

: the act or an instance of surveying: such as

a

: a broad treatment of a subject

b

: poll sense 5a

2

: something that is surveyed

Synonyms

Verb

• canvass
• canvas
• interview
• poll
• solicit

Noun

• audit
• check
• checkup
• examination
• going-over
• inspection
• look-see
• review
• scan
• scrutiny
• view

Examples of survey in a Sentence

Verb

A total of 250 city residents were surveyed about the project.

64 percent of the people surveyed said that the economy was doing well.

The teacher surveyed the room.

People were surveying the damage after the storm.

Engineers surveyed the property to see what could be built on it.

Noun

The survey found some surprising tendencies among the population.

We conducted an opinion survey on the issue and found that most people agree.

a survey on American drinking habits

Surveys of each department were conducted earlier this year.

A survey of recent corporate layoffs reveals a new trend in business management.

A new land survey changed the borders of their property.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Economists surveyed by Dow Jones were expecting a reading of 53.7. —Jesse Pound,sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2024

Data For Progress surveyed 1,079 likely voters in Arizona. —Stephanie Murray, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024

Noun

In the survey, 13% ranked Porter, who lost a bid for U.S. Senate in the March primary election to fellow Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff and Republican former baseball star Steve Garvey, as their first or second choice for governor. —Grant Stringer, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024

The Slack survey found a slight increase in AI usage, up one percentage point between March and August 2024 for US respondents (32% to 33%). —Emily Dreibelbis Forlini, PCMAG, 12 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French surveer, to look over, from sur- + veer to see — more at view

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

1548, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing survey

• geodetic survey
• survey course

Kids Definition

survey

1 of 2 verb

sur·​vey sər-ˈvā 

ˈsər-ˌvā

surveyed; surveying

1

: to look over and examine closely

2

: to find out the size, shape, and position of (as an area of land)

3

: to gather information from or about

4

: to make a survey

survey

2 of 2 noun

sur·​vey ˈsər-ˌvā 

sər-ˈvā

plural surveys

: the act or an instance of surveying or of applying the principles and methods of surveying

also : something that is surveyed