How to Use stakeout in a Sentence

stakeout

1 of 2 noun
  • The police were on a stakeout.
  • The drug deal was witnessed during a stakeout of the building.
  • Then, pull up the stakeout pole, flip it over and push to the next spot.
    — Ric Burnley, Field & Stream, 9 Jan. 2023
  • There was a part of him that wanted the stakeout to just end.
    — New York Times, 21 Feb. 2022
  • This was not Katie’s first rodeo with an after-school stakeout.
    — Jessica Knoll, Glamour, 20 Mar. 2018
  • But cops hundreds of miles away were on to them thanks to a stakeout with a modern twist.
    — James Marson, WSJ, 23 Nov. 2021
  • That Monday—the first day of the stakeout—proved to be the most active.
    — Eric Lach, The New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2023
  • The advantage of the stakeout pole is stopping the boat quickly to make a cast.
    — Ric Burnley, Field & Stream, 9 Jan. 2023
  • The area was so remote that during an 18-day stakeout, one agent saw a cougar kill a deer.
    — Alex Traub, BostonGlobe.com, 10 June 2023
  • Despite daily stakeouts in the lobby, the press corps never saw him.
    — William Saletan, Slate Magazine, 3 Mar. 2017
  • That included what had been all-day stakeout by camera crews and members of the media.
    — Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
  • On the last day of his stakeout, a remote camera Uman had hidden on a desk at the end of the hallway on the sixth floor fell.
    — Lawrence Mower, miamiherald, 26 Jan. 2018
  • His case attracted a large media stakeout outside the courthouse.
    — Kristin Hussey, New York Times, 30 Oct. 2020
  • At one point, the camera slow-zooms in on the suspect’s house, while Shackleton details a stakeout.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 21 Nov. 2025
  • That was on full display Tuesday evening when Bolton answered the door during a media stakeout of his home.
    — Oliver Darcy, CNN, 11 Sep. 2019
  • Grogu, with a telescope in hand, is then seen standing beside Djarin in an apparent stakeout mission.
    — Edward Segarra, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2025
  • In 2012, Dumke and Joravsky wrote about a police stakeout of a grow house on the far south side.
    — Aimee Levitt, Chicago Reader, 20 Apr. 2018
  • Tidbits would sometimes filter in from new arrivals joining the media stakeout in front of the Kennedy compound.
    — Dan Heching, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2026
  • Rare bird stakeouts are stressful for birders, especially for those who travel long distances for the chance to see the rarity.
    — Taylor Piephoff, charlotteobserver, 21 Mar. 2018
  • Sure, there’s plenty of suspense, intrigue and red herrings, but there’s also stakeouts, injuries and jumping fences to catch, or even get away from, the bad guys.
    — Seth Combs, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Nov. 2023
  • Vickers is accused of ambushing two officers who were on a stakeout Thursday night in Rochester.
    — Nick Stoico, BostonGlobe.com, 23 July 2022
  • The Capitol press stakeout grew in the midday sun outside the Senate’s east entrance on Wednesday.
    — Pablo Manríquez, The New Republic, 11 May 2023
  • After a short stakeout, police nabbed Kid Riviera at a South Side apartment building.
    — Mick Dumke, ProPublica, 28 Feb. 2021
  • Lee led a stakeout that uncovered a massive cache of explosives belonging to Cheung, who was caught soon after on the mainland.
    — Timothy McLaughlin, The Atlantic, 25 May 2022
  • But plans change when they’re forced to go on a stakeout together, allowing Samberg and Fumero to really build their chemistry.
    — Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 13 Aug. 2021
  • There, the couple decided to race past the stakeout on their way to Dodi's apartment off the Champs Elysees.
    — People Staff, Peoplemag, 31 Aug. 2022
  • Not long after, while Miller was on a surveillance stakeout in his car in a mall parking lot, his phone buzzed with an alert that the notorious market had been busted.
    — Andy Greenberg, WIRED, 25 Oct. 2022
  • The eight-episode series, based on Dennis Tafoya’s 2009 novel of the same name, begins with a stakeout that’s also a fake-out.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 25 Aug. 2025
  • McGinnis said police arrested the gang members after a stakeout near the residence of the mother of the child of rapper Future.
    — Bradford Betz, Fox News, 21 July 2022
  • The team also sets up a nighttime stakeout to investigate mysterious light on the mesa, and the team also sees two UFOs in the sky above the ranch.
    — Andy Meek, BGR, 5 July 2022

stake out

2 of 2 verb
  • Fans are encouraged to walk in and stake out a space.
    — Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 11 June 2026
  • The path to solvency was clearly staked out.
    — Sven Van Mourik, The Dial, 31 Mar. 2026
  • Then, of course, there is the mass of Redheads who staked out prime spots to watch the concert.
    — Mark Gray, PEOPLE, 20 Oct. 2025
  • Rivas and Limón have yet to stake out a clear direction on health care.
    — Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 29 Jan. 2026
  • Quiet and reserved, Liam has been staking out his own path.
    — Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 15 Jan. 2026
  • The burglars took videos of homes on their cell phones and staked out the neighborhoods in advance.
    — Bebe Hodges, The Enquirer, 25 Aug. 2025
  • Journalists staked out there were directed to move.
    — Christopher Weber, Twin Cities, 8 Feb. 2026
  • Soon there is more footage showing the man staking out the place in his car for fourteen hours before the murder.
    — David Velasco, Harpers Magazine, 18 Dec. 2023
  • Our writers have staked out their predictions for the season below.
    — The Athletic, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
  • Platner has staked out a populist message and centered his campaign on the middle class.
    — Joey Garrison, USA Today, 29 June 2026
  • World leaders, meanwhile, moved quickly to stake out their positions.
    — Nur Hikmah Md Ali, CNBC, 6 Jan. 2026
  • Flanagan has staked out the progressive lane while Craig has claimed the moderate one.
    — Alex J. Rouhandeh, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025
  • Bouges stakes out a spot at one of the tables for chopping, and Grambsch starts washing the veggies.
    — Everett Eaton, jsonline.com, 16 Sep. 2025
  • Prospectors looking to make a buck and a name for themselves staked out claims in the Verde Valley.
    — Sarah Henry, AZCentral.com, 1 Mar. 2026
  • The Shades can also set up on their own on land, staking out via conventional stakes or sand anchors.
    — New Atlas, 4 Feb. 2026
  • Instead, the firm has moved aggressively to stake out a commercial empire.
    — Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 9 Dec. 2025
  • For the best viewing experience, stake out a spot somewhere dark and far from artificial lights.
    — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 3 May 2026
  • Arriving early gives you time to stake out shade, organize your gear, and settle in before the crowds arrive.
    — Carrie Honaker, Travel + Leisure, 22 Feb. 2026
  • The birds themselves stake out territory for their families.
    — Jim Clash, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
  • Dean, a long-haired tabby, spends his time people-watching from the back door, lounging atop boxes in the office, or staking out an aisle.
    — Emily Curiel, Kansas City Star, 18 Nov. 2025
  • This is Vance’s latest attempt to stake out a sustainable position on the war in Iran.
    — David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 30 Apr. 2026
  • Lawmakers stake out aisle sets in the House chamber hours before the annual speech begins.
    — Dan Mangan,garrett Downs,spencer Kimball,megan Sauer, CNBC, 24 Feb. 2026
  • Glasser staked out opposition to each of the ordinance’s major parts.
    — Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2026
  • In a way, the rest of the industry is moving towards the position Cohere has already staked out.
    — Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Next, stake out a patch of sky 30-40 degrees above Castor, where the trails of shooting stars will be at their longest.
    — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 13 Dec. 2025
  • The tranquil, turquoise waters of this part of Virgin Gorda are ideal for yachts and sailboats, which stake out a spot here for a night or two.
    — Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 6 Apr. 2026
  • Hanaway has also staked out positions that have appealed to her conservative base on a host of other issues in recent weeks.
    — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 22 Dec. 2025
  • News photographers had staked out both hospitals, on Cape Cod and in Boston.
    — Steven Levingston, Vanity Fair, 23 Feb. 2026
  • Both senators have staked out populist positions within their parties and have crossed the aisle on legislation.
    — Caitlin Huey-Burns, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
  • Officers and detectives staking out the area closed in on a person fleeing the area quickly finding and arresting the teen.
    — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stakeout.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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