reconnaissance
noun
re·con·nais·sance
ri-ˈkä-nə-zən(t)s 
-sən(t)s
: a preliminary survey to gain information
especially
: an exploratory military survey of enemy territory
Examples of reconnaissance in a Sentence
There are two helicopters available for reconnaissance.
They did a reconnaissance of the enemy's position.
Recent Examples on the Web
It’s been seven years since Beale Air Force Base, home to the secretive U-2 Dragon Lady reconnaissance aircraft, hosted a public airshow.
—
Sacbee.com, 5 Apr. 2025
Similarly, the Russian reconnaissance drones are currently unarmed, though there has been much discussion on Russian Telegram channels of fitting rear-firing weapons.
—David Hambling, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
So intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, or ISR, that previously could be done affordably only with airplanes and radars that operated close to enemies can now be undertaken from networks of satellites launched from the United States.
—Stephen Peter Rosen, Foreign Affairs, 14 Mar. 2025
The agency said the test demonstrated the reconnaissance drone’s ability to track multiple targets and monitor troop movements on land and at sea, potentially enhancing North Korea’s intelligence-gathering operations and ability to neutralize enemy threats.
—Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reconnaissance
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.
Sacbee.com, 5 Apr. 2025
Similarly, the Russian reconnaissance drones are currently unarmed, though there has been much discussion on Russian Telegram channels of fitting rear-firing weapons.
—David Hambling, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
So intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, or ISR, that previously could be done affordably only with airplanes and radars that operated close to enemies can now be undertaken from networks of satellites launched from the United States.
—Stephen Peter Rosen, Foreign Affairs, 14 Mar. 2025
The agency said the test demonstrated the reconnaissance drone’s ability to track multiple targets and monitor troop movements on land and at sea, potentially enhancing North Korea’s intelligence-gathering operations and ability to neutralize enemy threats.
—Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reconnaissance
Cite this Entry
“Reconnaissance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reconnaissance. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
reconnaissance
noun
re·con·nais·sance
ri-ˈkän-ə-zən(t)s
: a survey (as of enemy territory) to gain information
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share