survey
survey Lexical Profile
survey Game Scores & Validity
• noun
An investigation of the opinions, behavior, or experiences of a particular group of people, typically conducted by asking a series of questions.
"A recent survey revealed that most employees prefer a flexible hybrid work schedule."
A general view, examination, or comprehensive description of someone or something.
"The professor's book provides an accessible historical survey of nineteenth-century European literature."
An act of examining and recording the area, boundaries, and features of a piece of land or the structural condition of a building.
"Before purchasing the historic cottage, the buyers commissioned a structural survey to check the roof and foundations."
• verb
To investigate the opinions or experiences of a group of people by asking them questions.
"The research team surveyed over two thousand university students regarding their study habits."
To look closely at or examine someone or something in its entirety.
"She stood at the edge of the ridge and surveyed the vast valley below."
To examine and record the area, boundaries, and features of a piece of land so as to construct a map, plan, or legal description.
"Engineers were hired to survey the coastal terrain before construction on the highway began."
Word Nuance & Usage
Like several other two-syllable noun-verb pairs in English, 'survey' exhibits stress shift: as a noun, primary stress falls on the first syllable (SUR-vey), whereas as a verb, primary stress usually falls on the second syllable (sur-VEY).
• Rhymes for survey
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 15th century from Anglo-French surveier ('to look over'), from Medieval Latin supervidere, a compound of super- ('over') and videre ('to see'), making it a doublet of 'supervise'.