stakeout

1 of 2

noun

stake·​out ˈstāk-ˌau̇t 

: 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

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

The route begins at the corner of George and Cypress Streets, before making a left onto Pollock Street and finishing at the corner of Pollock and East Front Streets, so stake out a prime viewing spot early and don’t forget to bring your folding chairs. —Trudy Haywood Saunders, Travel + Leisure, 10 Dec. 2024

Each piece stakes out its ground with authority and the wisdom that comes from paying close attention to the land. —The Week Us, theweek, 3 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1942, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1951, in the meaning defined at sense 1