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
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
Tracey Follows, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
That poll surveyed 1,600 people, with a margin of error of 3.4 percent.
—Raja Krishnamoorthi, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Apr. 2025
Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 10 Apr. 2025
In fall 2023, KTA’s customer satisfaction survey found that 84% of respondents supported the switch to cashless tolling.
—Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for survey
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.
Verb
Perhaps that is why 45% of experts surveyed think this kind of AI co-evolution will have a more negative than positive effect on mental well-being by 2035.
—Tracey Follows, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
That poll surveyed 1,600 people, with a margin of error of 3.4 percent.
—Raja Krishnamoorthi, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Apr. 2025
Noun
But not everyone retires — an AARP survey last year found that a quarter of people over 50 expect to never leave their jobs.
—Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 10 Apr. 2025
In fall 2023, KTA’s customer satisfaction survey found that 84% of respondents supported the switch to cashless tolling.
—Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for survey
Cite this Entry
“Survey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/survey. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share