stakeout

IPA/ˈsteɪk.aʊt/
KK[stˈekˌaʊt]IPA/ˈsteɪk.aʊt/

stakeout — noun

  • stakeoutsingular
  • stakeoutsplural

1. a period when police or investigators stay near a place and watch it secretly so

1.nounC1
Definition

a period when police or investigators stay near a place and watch it secretly so they can see who comes, goes, or meets there

Example

Police waited in a plain white van during the overnight stakeout outside the bank.

collocation: overnight stakeout

After two nights on stakeout, detectives saw the dealer enter the garage.

pattern: on stakeout

Common collocations
  • go on stakeout
  • set up a stakeout
  • overnight stakeout
  • police stakeout
Synonyms
  • surveillance

    more formal and broader; it can include cameras or remote watching, not only waiting near a place

  • watch

    much broader and less secret; it does not strongly suggest a planned police operation

  • operation

    very general; it can describe any planned police action, not specifically hidden watching

Grammar Patterns

be on stakeout

set up a stakeout

during a stakeout

Usage Note

Most often used for police or private-investigator work. Common with verbs such as set up, keep, and end, and with the pattern be on stakeout when people are waiting nearby for a suspect.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Stakeout' suggests people waiting near a place in secret, usually because they expect a suspect or important visitor to appear. 'Surveillance' is broader and more formal: it can include cameras, phone tracking, or general observation from a distance. 'Watch' is the everyday broad word and does not by itself suggest police planning or hidden waiting. Use 'stakeout' when officers or investigators physically stay nearby and wait for movement.

stakeout ↗surveillance ↗watch ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • be on stakeout
  • set up a stakeout
  • end a stakeout

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglishAmerican English

The word developed in American English from the phrasal idea of staking out a place, first in the literal sense of marking or claiming an area and later in the police sense of keeping hidden watch around it.

First known use

1942

1942, in the meaning defined above Verb