survey

1 of 2

verb

surveyed; surveying

transitive verb

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 wayAlan Harrington

intransitive verb

: to make a survey

survey

2 of 2

noun

plural surveys
1
: the act or an instance of surveying: such as
a
: a broad treatment of a subject
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
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
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

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French surveer, to look over, from sur- + veer to see — more at view

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

1548, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of survey was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Survey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/survey. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

survey

1 of 2 verb
sur·​vey sər-ˈvā How to pronounce survey (audio)
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 How to pronounce survey (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on survey

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