Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

surveil

/sɚˈveɪl/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.11 in modern English

Syllables: surveil
IPA: /sɚˈveɪl/

10

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

2

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To keep someone or something under surveillance.

American usage; Transitive verb

Example Sentences

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

Etymology

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

Origin

First known use: First attested in 1903

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /sɚˈveɪl/
British English: /səˈveɪl/

Usage

American usage
Transitive verb

Inflected Forms

surveils (present, singular) surveilling (participle, present) surveilled (participle, past) surveilled (past)

Derived Forms

resurveil surveilee surveiler surveillable unsurveilled

Synonyms

follow survey

Rhymes With

sale male scale full-scale mail they'll email jail fail detail trail rail

Questions

How do you pronounce surveil?: The recorded pronunciation is /sɚˈveɪl/.
What does surveil mean?: To keep someone or something under surveillance.
Where does surveil come from?: First known use: First attested in 1903.

How to pronounce surveil

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “surveil”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/sɚˈveɪl/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “surveil”.
Repeat and practice — Say “surveil” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.