surveil

verb

sur·​veil sər-ˈvāl How to pronounce surveil (audio)
surveilled; surveilling
Synonyms of surveilnext

transitive verb

: to subject to surveillance

Examples of surveil in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Shadow fleets and dark vessels have turned the ocean into a security problem bigger than any one country can surveil by itself. John Koetsier, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026 View this post on Instagram Officers used drones to surveil the scene and identify vehicles that were actively participating in the sideshow. Cecilio Padilla, CBS News, 29 June 2026 The NewsGuild of New York has accused The New York Times of using artificial intelligence technology to monitor and surveil the performance of unionized tech workers in violation of their collective bargaining agreement. Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 6 June 2026 More than 1,000 pages of unpublished reports from the Department of Homeland Security, FBI, and fusion centers obtained by WIRED show a national shift taking place to surveil this new and worryingly broad category of people and activities deemed an emerging threat. Daniel Boguslaw, ArsTechnica, 27 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for surveil

Word History

Etymology

back-formation from surveillance

First Known Use

1884, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of surveil was in 1884

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Surveil.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/surveil. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.

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