reconnaissance

noun

re·​con·​nais·​sance ri-ˈkä-nə-zən(t)s How to pronounce reconnaissance (audio)
-sən(t)s
Synonyms of reconnaissance
: a preliminary survey to gain information
especially : an exploratory military survey of enemy territory

Examples of reconnaissance in a Sentence

There are two helicopters available for reconnaissance. They did a reconnaissance of the enemy's position.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Buntar plans to use the funding to increase manufacturing capacity, recruit engineering and operations talent, and expand beyond intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance into other defense and civilian applications. — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 11 Oct. 2026 Although presented publicly as civilian technologies, some of the Salyut spacecraft were secretly developed and deployed as reconnaissance platforms equipped with state-of-the-art cameras and other intelligence collection utilities. — Micah Hanks, Space.com, 9 Oct. 2026 The number includes both airplanes and helicopters as well as drones, with the MQ-9 Reaper drone – used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, close air support and combat search and rescue – accounting for more than half of the losses. — Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2026 Lateral movement can produce indicators such as unusual account access, authentication activity, privilege escalation attempts or network reconnaissance. — Ascend Agency, New York Daily News, 28 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for reconnaissance

Word History

Etymology

French, literally, recognition, from Middle French reconoissance, from Old French reconoistre to recognize

First Known Use

1779, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of reconnaissance was in 1779

Browse Nearby Words

recongeal
reconnaissance
reconnaissance in force
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Reconnaissance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reconnaissance. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

reconnaissance

noun
re·​con·​nais·​sance ri-ˈkän-ə-zən(t)s How to pronounce reconnaissance (audio)
: a survey (as of enemy territory) to gain information

More from Merriam-Webster on reconnaissance

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for reconnaissance

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about reconnaissance

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