Long periods of watching a place or person secretly, usually by police or detectives trying to gather evidence.
Compound word from 'stake' (a pointed stick or claim) + 'out' (positioned outside). The term emerged in early 20th-century American slang, drawing from the idea of 'staking out' or marking a location to watch it.
Stakeouts became a Hollywood staple and shaped how people think about detective work, but real stakeouts are often boring—lots of waiting and drinking coffee, not exciting chases. The word perfectly captures a surveillance tactic that's simultaneously dramatic in concept and tedious in practice.
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