Standard Lemma guide

stakeout

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • CMU ARPABET: S T EY1 K AW2 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The act of watching a location or people, generally covertly.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The police had a stakeout in place where they expected the crime to occur.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

surveillance of some place or some person by the police (as in anticipation of a crime)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: surveillance

History

Etymology

Deverbal from stake out.

Across languages

Translations

11 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: полицейско наблюдение (policejsko nabljudenie) — covertly watching a location
  • Dutch: surveillance — covertly watching a location
  • French: planque — covertly watching a location
  • Hungarian: titkos megfigyelés — covertly watching a location
  • Italian: sorveglianza — covertly watching a location
  • Polish: obserwacja — covertly watching a location
  • Russian: слежка (sležka) — covertly watching a location
  • Russian: скрытое наблюдение (skrytoje nabljudenije) — covertly watching a location
  • Spanish: atisbadura — covertly watching a location
  • Swedish: spaning — covertly watching a location
  • Swedish: span — covertly watching a location