What does "surveillance" mean?
Close observation of an individual or group; person or persons under suspicion.
Surveillance
/sɚˈveɪ.ləns/ noun
noun ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Close observation of an individual or group; person or persons under suspicion.
- Grammar: surveillance is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: accountability, ambuscade, ambush, ambushment.
- Useful contrasts: private autonomy, liberty, privacy.
- Usage evidence: Eventually it was decided that the stores be equipped with surveillance cameras.
How to use "surveillance"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "surveillance" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "surveillance" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "surveillance" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "surveillance" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "surveillance" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "accountability" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "surveillance", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Close observation of an individual or group; person or persons under suspicion. countable, uncountable
"The surveillance program includes at least 480 LPRs that scan and record about 16.2 million vehicles per week and stores that data for two years, he wrote in the court filing."
- 2 close observation of a person or group (usually by the police) wordnet
- 3 Continuous monitoring of disease occurrence for example. countable, uncountable
"Lady Anne appeared in a week or two to have greatly recovered her appetite, and she talked much of the benefit derived from her native air, in order to gain which, she constantly drove out in Lord Rotheles's carriages, and appeared to derive comfort from her admiration of his beautiful bays; beyond this Helen could not perceive that her airings were useful, as her cough increased exceedingly, and all the visitants at the castle expressed surprise "that she did not place herself under the surveillance of one or other of the great physicians of the metropolis.""
- 4 Systematic observation of places and people by visual, aural, electronic, photographic or other means. countable, uncountable
"The threat of terrorism to the British lies in the overreaction to it of British governments. Each one in turn clicks up the ratchet of surveillance, intrusion and security. Each one diminishes liberty."
- 5 In criminal law, an investigation process by which police gather evidence about crimes, or suspected crime, through continued observation of persons or places. countable, uncountable
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Eventually it was decided that the stores be equipped with surveillance cameras."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "surveillance"?
Common synonyms include: accountability, ambuscade, ambush, ambushment, auspices, be observed.
How do you use "surveillance" in a sentence?
Eventually it was decided that the stores be equipped with surveillance cameras.
How do you pronounce "surveillance"?
Pronounced /sɚˈveɪ.ləns/.
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from French surveillance (“a watching over, overseeing, supervision”), from surveiller (“to watch, oversee”), from sur- (“over”) + veiller (“to watch”), from Middle French, from Old French veillier (“to stay awake”), from Latin vigilāre (“to be watchful”). More at vigilant.