reconnaissance
Americannoun
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reconnaissances
plural
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the act of reconnoitering.
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Military. a search made for useful military information in the field, especially by examining the ground.
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Surveying, Civil Engineering. a general examination or survey of a region, usually followed by a detailed survey.
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Geology. an examination or survey of the general geological characteristics of a region.
noun
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the act of reconnoitring
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the process of obtaining information about the position, activities, resources, etc, of an enemy or potential enemy
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a preliminary inspection of an area of land before an engineering survey is made
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of reconnaissance
1800–10; < French; Middle French reconoissance recognizance
Explanation
Reconnaissance is checking out a situation before taking action. Often it’s used as a military term, but you could also do reconnaissance on a new employee before you hire her, or a resort before you take a vacation. Reconnaissance is a noun, and it technically means “the act of reconnoitering.” Whoa. Never heard that word before? Reconnoitering is just a fancy way of saying that you’re checking something out — sometimes in a sneaky way. If you like a girl in your Spanish class, you might ask a friend to do some reconnaissance to find out what she’s like. The word comes from the French reconnaître, which means “recognize.”
Vocabulary lists containing reconnaissance
In the Know: Cogn, Conn
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Unbroken
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100 SAT words Beginning with "R"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Early Iranian drones, including some tested during the 1980s Iran-Iraq war, were used for reconnaissance and air support, with antitank rockets strapped under the wings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
It includes the construction of fortifications, equipment depots, as well as reconnaissance and anti-drone installations.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
The panel said the "asbestos risk associated with Skrunda-1 had not been correctly identified" and concluded there had been "insufficient reconnaissance and an assumption of safety".
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
Spain’s firefighting fleet includes 15 water-scooping planes, reconnaissance aircraft and helicopters.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
Thanks to his military training, Powell knows the value of reconnaissance.
From "Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever" by Bill O'Reilly
There will be reconnaissances to Trent Bridge to have a look at Australia's opener, Ed Cowan, who has signed for Nottinghamshire for the early part of the season.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 6, 2013
Since then there have been three major reconnaissances of nerves.
From Time Magazine Archive
As an intelligence officer, Mowat is particularly vulnerable when he delivers messages and undertakes reconnaissances.
From Time Magazine Archive
Taylor was harder on himself than anyone, making personal reconnaissances by Jeep, risking injury unnecessarily by sitting stubbornly at a staff table while shells fell in the courtyard outside.
From Time Magazine Archive
There were, also, occasional reconnaissances on a small scale—a dozen men, or so, in a party.
From In the Russian Ranks A Soldier's Account of the Fighting in Poland by John Morse
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
