surveillance

noun

sər-ˈvā-lən(t)s How to pronounce surveillance (audio)
Definition of surveillancenext
1
as in stewardship
the duty or function of watching or guarding for the sake of proper direction or control a neutral country charged with the surveillance of the post-war rebuilding effort

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in watch
an act or period of watching for signs of activity, danger, or opportunity government surveillance of suspected terrorists

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of surveillance The legal challenge intensified an unusually public dispute over how AI can be used in warfare and mass surveillance. — Kaitlyn Huamani, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026 She can be seen in surveillance footage purchasing a gun and ammunition from a local pawn shop before stopping for gas at a convenience store. — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Aug. 2026 The cameras upload license plate numbers and also the vehicle’s color, model and even bumper stickers to the country’s largest vehicle surveillance database. — Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Aug. 2026 Police recovered surveillance footage showing Soto leaving the Grand Concourse building wheeling a small suitcase. — Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for surveillance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surveillance
  1. stewardship
  2. watch
  3. supervision
  4. lookout
  5. oversight
  6. management
  7. control
  8. policing
Noun
  • But a group of local Jewish organizations object to his stewardship of a key cultural venue in the city.
    — Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Since Jerry Buss built the Lakers into the NBA’s most glamorous franchise during four decades of stewardship, the team will now have a third controlling owner in as many years.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of stewardship
Noun
  • The watch is for Alamance, Chatham, Davidson, Durham, Edgecombe, Forsyth, Franklin, Granville, Guilford, Halifax, Harnett, Johnston, Lee, Montgomery, Moore, Nash, Orange, Person, Randolph, Stanly, Vance, Wake, Warren, Wayne and Wilson counties.
    — NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Participants — a group of 58 people (31 women, 27 men) ranging in age from 18 to 50 — wore all four watches and the COSMED metabolic analyzer simultaneously while exercising on a stationary bike at an FIU lab.
    — Michelle Marchante September 4, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of watch
Noun
  • Many renovations are complete, including the transformation of one building into shop rooms full of tools that students will use to work on real-world projects under faculty supervision.
    — Jon Marcus, NPR, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Meanwhile, a current CFPB staffer told ProPublica that the number of policy attorneys, who help direct supervision work and identify violations of law, had shrunk from typically between 40 and 50 lawyers down to five.
    — Andy Kroll, ProPublica, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of supervision
Noun
  • At 441 feet high, the lookout is the highest point of elevation in the area, meaning a bird’s eye view of the forest’s colorful canopy.
    — Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Pearson faces charges of second-degree death by vessel, operating a vessel under the influence, reckless operation, operating without a safety certificate and failure to keep a proper lookout.
    — Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of lookout
Noun
  • The conflicting rulings from the 3rd and 9th circuit courts have provided an opportunity for the Supreme Court to get involved and review which regulator should have oversight of prediction markets, Bank of America said in a Monday note.
    — Ananya Chetia, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026
  • After injection begins, engineering oversight must track subsurface fluid movement.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of oversight
Noun
  • In addition to speech, our management of a localized fire for food, safety, and comfort is another uniquely human behavior, one that seems to have coincided with the development of complex spoken language.
    — Mike McRae September 02, New Atlas, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Shelley served as the Warriors’ associate general counsel and director of business and legal affairs and risk management, and Vasquez was the vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion.
    — Devon Henderson, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of management
Noun
  • These trajectories document a robot’s behavior before an intervention, the moment a human operator takes control, and the corrective actions used to recover or complete the task.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Having control over a venue allows stadiums to be designed specifically with a women’s sports fan in mind, which can be critical to gameday experience.
    — Melanie Anzidei, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of control
Noun
  • The offenses range from non-law enforcement uses like stalking ex-partners to abusive policing tactics like aggressively following people across state lines to justify traffic stops.
    — Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 26 Aug. 2026
  • None of this means license-plate-reading technology has no place in policing.
    — Karl W. Bickel, Baltimore Sun, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of policing

Browse Nearby Words

surveil
surveillance
surveillances
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Surveillance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surveillance. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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