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

In 2023, a forty-eight-year-old El Paso resident was taking medicine to her grandmother when she was arrested by state troopers on a stakeout, who had mistaken her for a smuggler. —Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025

The detectives assigned to the stakeouts arrested three persons Friday night on charges of robbery and kidnapping. —The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, arkansasonline.com, 2 Mar. 2025

Verb

Beyond the cozy confines of your villa, guests can find an assortment of beach clubs in the area to stake out (Gitano Beach is a can’t-miss), along with more than a few coffee shops and tons of restaurants spread across the La Veleta and Hotel Zone neighborhoods. —Erika Owen, Architectural Digest, 5 Apr. 2025

Given the investment Amazon has made in the NFL, that’s a pretty good lane to stake out. —Josef Adalian, Vulture, 4 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1942, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1951, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for stakeout

• roundabout
• runabout
• sauerkraut
• thereabout
• turnabout
• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout