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
Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2025
The British Royal Navy reportedly routinely monitors any potential threats to national security through shadowing missions, sometimes surveying undersea cables or pipelines.
—Russel Honoré, Newsweek, 5 Mar. 2025
Anurag Lal, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025
The population of monarch butterflies nearly doubled in population in 2024-25 versus 2023-24, according to a survey released Thursday by the World Wildlife Fund in Mexico and Mexico's National Commission of Protected Natural Areas.
—Megan Forrester, ABC News, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for survey
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Verb
Researchers hiked into the meadows of Nanshan National Park in 2024 to survey wildlife.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2025
The British Royal Navy reportedly routinely monitors any potential threats to national security through shadowing missions, sometimes surveying undersea cables or pipelines.
—Russel Honoré, Newsweek, 5 Mar. 2025
Noun
Persistent and evolving cyber threats were the No. 1 risk cited by 62% of respondents to a 2024 Travelers Risk Index survey of about 1,200 U.S. business insurance decision-makers.
—Anurag Lal, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025
The population of monarch butterflies nearly doubled in population in 2024-25 versus 2023-24, according to a survey released Thursday by the World Wildlife Fund in Mexico and Mexico's National Commission of Protected Natural Areas.
—Megan Forrester, ABC News, 7 Mar. 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 12 Mar. 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
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