stake·out
ˈstāk-ˌau̇t 
: a surveillance maintained by the police of an area or a person suspected of criminal activity
staked out; staking out; stakes out
1
: to assign (someone, such as a police officer) to an area usually to conduct a surveillance
2
: to maintain a stakeout of
3
: to claim as one's own
Examples of stakeout in a Sentence
Noun
The drug deal was witnessed during a stakeout of the building.
The police were on a stakeout.
Recent Examples on the Web
David W. Brown, New Yorker, 5 July 2025
They’ve been married for over 57 years and now enjoy a quieter life filled with storytelling instead of stakeouts.
—Wyles Daniel, USA Today, 4 June 2025
Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 2 July 2025
While progressives in the lead-up to the military action had staked out clear opposition to Trump’s potential intervention, the party leadership played the safer ground of insisting on a role for Congress before any use of force.
—Adriana Gomez Licon, Los Angeles Times, 22 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for stakeout
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Noun
Volunteers organized a neighborhood-wide stakeout, which had the feel of a quiet, quintessentially New Orleans block party—people sitting on porches, drinking wine.
—David W. Brown, New Yorker, 5 July 2025
They’ve been married for over 57 years and now enjoy a quieter life filled with storytelling instead of stakeouts.
—Wyles Daniel, USA Today, 4 June 2025
Verb
Alas, the team staking out the tarmac that night was duped by a stand-in for the elusive terrorist.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 2 July 2025
While progressives in the lead-up to the military action had staked out clear opposition to Trump’s potential intervention, the party leadership played the safer ground of insisting on a role for Congress before any use of force.
—Adriana Gomez Licon, Los Angeles Times, 22 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for stakeout
Cite this Entry
“Stakeout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stakeout. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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