surveillance
noun
sur·veil·lance
sər-ˈvā-lən(t)s 
also
-ˈvāl-yən(t)s
or
-ˈvā-ən(t)s
: close watch kept over someone or something (as by a detective)
also
: supervision see also immune surveillance
Examples of surveillance in a Sentence
government surveillance of suspected terrorists
The bank robbery was recorded by surveillance video cameras.
Recent Examples on the Web
The department says the cases were detected during annual surveillance tests.
—
Dejanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026
Investigators were able to identify the men through the surveillance footage and photos of their vehicles taken by a witness, according to the affidavit.
—Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 7 Apr. 2026
Anthropic, whose policies bar it from enabling fully autonomous weapons or domestic mass surveillance, resisted on these points, slowing negotiations for an overhauled deal.
—Ronan Farrow, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
In a statement posted on X, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed Khademi's killing, accusing him of helping advance terrorist attacks abroad and overseeing surveillance of Iranian civilians as part of the regime’s crackdown on domestic protests.
—Eric MacK, FOXNews.com, 6 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for surveillance
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.
Dejanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026
Investigators were able to identify the men through the surveillance footage and photos of their vehicles taken by a witness, according to the affidavit.
—Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 7 Apr. 2026
Anthropic, whose policies bar it from enabling fully autonomous weapons or domestic mass surveillance, resisted on these points, slowing negotiations for an overhauled deal.
—Ronan Farrow, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
In a statement posted on X, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed Khademi's killing, accusing him of helping advance terrorist attacks abroad and overseeing surveillance of Iranian civilians as part of the regime’s crackdown on domestic protests.
—Eric MacK, FOXNews.com, 6 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for surveillance
Cite this Entry
“Surveillance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/surveillance. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
surveillance
noun
sur·veil·lance
sər-ˈvā-lən(t)s
also -ˈvāl-yən(t)s
or -ˈvā-ən(t)s
: close watch
under surveillance
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
