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 Word Forms

• reconnoiterer noun
• unreconnoitered adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of reconnoiter¹

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

Example Sentences

In 2013, in Vietnam, he reconnoitered the Danish embassy and distracted staffers as nine defectors, posing as South Korean tourists, entered and claimed asylum.

From Washington Times

“The troops are reconnoitered in the back parking lot.”

From Literature

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

From Los Angeles 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