Definition

Noun: 1. A period of secret surveillance of a location or person, typically conducted by the police, in anticipation of criminal activity. It involves officers watching and waiting, often from a concealed position, to observe or catch someone in the act of a crime.

Usage

• The word "stakeout" is a countable noun. It is typically used with verbs like "conduct," "be on," "set up," or "wait on."
• It describes a specific police or investigative tactic. While the core meaning involves law enforcement, the term can be used informally for any similar act of prolonged, secret observation.

Examples

• The detectives conducted a stakeout outside the suspect's apartment for three nights.
• After receiving the tip, the police set up a stakeout near the warehouse.
• "We've been on a stakeout for hours, but there's been no activity," the officer reported.
• The journalist waited on a stakeout to photograph the celebrity.

Advanced Usage

• "To be on a stakeout": To be actively engaged in conducting surveillance.
  • The two agents were on a stakeout, drinking cold coffee in an unmarked car.
• "To stake out a place" (phrasal verb): The verb form from which the noun is derived, meaning to place under surveillance.
  • The FBI staked out the bank for a week before the robbery occurred.

Variants and Related Words

• Stake out (phrasal verb): To keep a place or person under secret surveillance.
  • The police decided to stake out the entire neighborhood.
• Surveillance (n): The general act of carefully watching someone or something, especially a suspected criminal.
  • Stakeouts are one method of physical surveillance.

Synonyms

• Surveillance: The close observation of a person or place.
• Watch: The act of looking attentively over a period of time.
• Reconnaissance: A preliminary survey to gain information (often military, but can be used in broader contexts).

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Stake out: As shown above, this is the direct verbal source of the noun "stakeout."
  • We need to stake out the delivery entrance to catch the thief.

Related Idioms

• To keep a stake: While not a direct idiom with "stakeout," the concept relates to having an interest or investment in an outcome, similar to how officers on a stakeout have an invested interest in the result. The phrase "have a stake in" means to have a share or interest in something.
  • The community has a stake in reducing crime in the area.

Noun

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