surveil

S1U1R1V4E1I1L1
US/sɚˈveɪl/UK/səˈveɪl/

verb

To keep someone or something under surveillance.

“The plaintiff also stresses that the store as a whole, and the customer exits especially, were closely surveilled.”

Similar
followsurveypursue
UncommonScrabble 10
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

verbsurveil (third-person singular simple present surveils, present participle surveilling, simple past and past participle surveilled)

present singular third person surveils · participle present surveilling · participle past surveilled · past surveilled

  1. UStransitiveTo keep someone or something under surveillance.

    The plaintiff also stresses that the store as a whole, and the customer exits especially, were closely surveilled.

Synonyms & antonyms

verbkeep under surveillance

Similar
followsurveypursue
Broader
observe
Also see
followpursuesurveytwig

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

Back-formation from surveillance (but cf. French surveiller and its variant surveille). First attested in 1903.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Danish overvåge
  • overvågeTo keep someone or something under surveillance
Finnish valvoa
  • valvoaTo keep someone or something under surveillance
French surveiller
  • surveillerTo keep someone or something under surveillance
German überwachen
  • überwachenTo keep someone or something under surveillance
Hungarian megfigyel
  • megfigyelTo keep someone or something under surveillance
Polish inwigilować, obserwować
  • inwigilowaćTo keep someone or something under surveillance
  • obserwowaćTo keep someone or something under surveillance
  • nadzorowaćTo keep someone or something under surveillance
  • monitorowaćTo keep someone or something under surveillance
Portuguese vigiar
  • vigiarTo keep someone or something under surveillance
Swedish övervaka
  • övervakaTo keep someone or something under surveillance

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with surveil

emailmailretailscaledetailfailtrailthumbnailtailtaledalejailyalepalegalesailavailbailvalealeGailhalehailvail
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

surveil. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/surveil

MLA

“surveil.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/surveil. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “surveil,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/surveil.

Source: surveil on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.