reconnoiter

[ ree-kuh-noi-ter, rek-uh- ]

verb (used with object)

1. to inspect, observe, or survey (the enemy, the enemy's strength or position, a region, etc.) in order to gain information for military purposes.
2. to examine or survey (a region, area, etc.) for engineering, geological, or other purposes.

verb (used without object)

1. to make a reconnaissance.

Other Words From

• recon·noiter·er noun
• unre·con·noitered adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of reconnoiter¹

1700–10; < French reconnoître (now obsolete) to explore, Middle French reconoistre. See recognize

Example Sentences

Long before white settlement and Lewis and Clark tramped through the area now known as Missoula, the Séliš and Qĺispé buffalo hunters gathered in the place where the Blackfoot and the Clark Fork Rivers meet to plan and reconnoiter, and to tell stories of their dangerous hunts.

From New York Times

When Liddy and Hunt go to reconnoiter the psychiatrist’s office, they wear terrible wigs by way of disguise.

From Los Angeles Times

The Russian blog Rybar said on Monday that Ukrainians holding the west bank of the Dnipro River had been using speedboats and drones to reconnoiter Russian positions on the east bank and had delivered boats, barges and units specializing in building pontoon bridges to the Kherson area, signaling preparation for an attack.

From New York Times

Top executives have shifted their attention to other countries that they can more easily reconnoiter.

From New York Times

A week later, Chelsea Gerlach was sitting in a hotel room, preparing to reconnoiter a potential target, when she saw on TV that a pair of planes had crashed into the World Trade Center.

From New York Times