surveyed; surveying
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
Alan Harrington
: to make a survey
plural surveys
1
2
: something that is surveyed
Synonyms
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
Hilary Tetenbaum, The Arizona Republic, 18 Dec. 2024
As police surveyed the scene, multiple gunshots were visible in the facade of the funeral home building, and shell casings were on the scene, McCullough said.
—Dan Belson, Baltimore Sun, 18 Dec. 2024
Bill Stone, Forbes, 7 Dec. 2024
But based on footprints glimpsed in the snow during an aerial survey, and items believed to belong to them retrieved from the slopes this week, the search for them has ended, Police Area Commander Inspector Vicki Walker told reporters.
—Charlotte Graham-McLay, Los Angeles Times, 6 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for survey 
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
The 2023 study surveyed over 53,000 respondents in 46 countries worldwide and established that professionals who estimate their skills as ‘specialized’ were quite optimistic about AI's influence on their future careers — and that at the peak of tech sector layoffs.
—Hilary Tetenbaum, The Arizona Republic, 18 Dec. 2024
As police surveyed the scene, multiple gunshots were visible in the facade of the funeral home building, and shell casings were on the scene, McCullough said.
—Dan Belson, Baltimore Sun, 18 Dec. 2024
Noun
The household survey data was soft, with a loss of 355,000 jobs, but the research series, which mirrors the payroll report criteria, rose by 117,000.
—Bill Stone, Forbes, 7 Dec. 2024
But based on footprints glimpsed in the snow during an aerial survey, and items believed to belong to them retrieved from the slopes this week, the search for them has ended, Police Area Commander Inspector Vicki Walker told reporters.
—Charlotte Graham-McLay, Los Angeles Times, 6 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for survey
Dictionary Entries Near survey
Cite this Entry
“Survey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/survey. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
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