Definitions for surveillance
sərˈveɪ ləns, -ˈveɪl yənssurveil·lance

Princeton's WordNet(3.33 / 3 votes)Rate this definition:

1. surveillance(noun)

   close observation of a person or group (usually by the police)

Wiktionary(3.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. surveillance(Noun)

   Close observation of an individual or group; person or persons under suspicion

2. surveillance(Noun)

   Continuous monitoring of disease occurrence for example

3. surveillance(Noun)

   Systematic observation of places and people by visual, aural, electronic, photographic or other means.

4. surveillance(Noun)

   In criminal law, an investigation process by which police gather evidence about crimes, or suspected crime, through continued observation of persons or places.

Webster Dictionary(3.50 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Surveillance(noun)

   oversight; watch; inspection; supervision

Origin: [F., fr. surveiller to watch over; sur over + veiller to watch, L. vigilare. See Sur-, and Vigil.]

Freebase(3.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Surveillance

   Surveillance is the monitoring of the behavior, activities, or other changing information, usually of people for the purpose of influencing, managing, directing, or protecting. Surveillance can be the observation of individuals or groups by government organizations but can also relate to disease surveillance, which monitors the progress of a disease in a community while not directly observing individuals. The word surveillance is the French word for "watching over"; "sur" means "from above" and "veiller" means "to watch". The inverse of surveillance is sousveillance. The word surveillance may be applied to observation from a distance by means of electronic equipment, or interception of electronically transmitted information. It may also refer to simple, relatively no- or low-technology methods such as human intelligence agents and postal interception. Surveillance is very useful to governments and law enforcement to maintain social control, recognize and monitor threats, and prevent/investigate criminal activity. With the advent of programs such as the Total Information Awareness program and ADVISE, technologies such as high speed surveillance computers and biometrics software, and laws such as the Communications Assistance For Law Enforcement Act, governments now possess an unprecedented ability to monitor the activities of their subjects.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Surveillance

   sur-vel′yans, n. a being vigilant or watchful: inspection.—adj. Surveill′ant. [Fr.,—surveiller—sur, over—L. super, veiller, to watch—L. vigilāre.]

Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. surveillance

   The systematic observation of aerospace, surface, or subsurface areas, places, persons, or things, by visual, aural, electronic, photographic, or other means. See also air surveillance; satellite and missile surveillance; sea surveillance.

How to pronounce surveillance?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

How to say surveillance in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of surveillance in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of surveillance in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6

Examples of surveillance in a Sentence

1. Roger Robinson:

   Hikvision has emerged as the corporate poster child for enabling Chinese human rights abuses, with its surveillance cameras visible atop the walls of detention camps incarcerating some one million or more Uighurs in Xinjiang.

2. John Fluke:

   This is really complex and what is needed is some considerable effort to use surveillance data in targeted ways to help determine what prevention and treatment approaches are most effective for specific populations.

3. Susan Rice:

   I know nothing about this, i was surprised to see reports from Chairman Nunes on that count today … So today, I really don’t know to what Chairman Nunes on that count was referring. But Chairman Nunes on that count said that whatever Chairman Nunes on that count was referring to was a legal, lawful surveillance and that it was potentially incidental collection on American citizens.

4. Charles Petzer:

   We've seen the figures that it is actually working, if you look at the amount of square kilometers that you can do surveillance on, it is definitely the most cost-effective solution.

5. Kendra Viner:

   Then it’s also improving surveillance across the board of this disease.

Images & Illustrations of surveillance

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