reconnaissance
noun
re·con·nais·sance ri-ˈkä-nə-zən(t)s 
-sən(t)s
: a preliminary survey to gain information
especially : an exploratory military survey of enemy territory
Example Sentences
There are two helicopters available for reconnaissance. They did a reconnaissance of the enemy's position.
Recent Examples on the Web A week ago, citing Turkish Defense Ministry sources, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency reported that Greek surface-to-air missiles had locked on to Turkish F-16 fighter jets carrying out a reconnaissance mission in international airspace. 
Fox News, 3 Sep. 2022 The airplane, a P-38 Lightning, was on a reconnaissance mission over Thailand and Burma, now Myanmar, when it was most likely struck by lightning and fell from the sky. New York Times, 24 May 2022 Murphy, who was the workout's creator, was killed in 2005 on a reconnaissance mission in Afghanistan. Jeff Tomko, Men's Health, 20 May 2022 During World War II, motorcycles were widely used by militaries to conduct reconnaissance missions. Rachel Pannett, Washington Post, 26 May 2022 Exploring Mars since 2012, NASA’s rover is constantly getting overlooked in favor of the newer Perseverance rover, which landed in 2021 and has been sending its Ingenuity drone out on incredible reconnaissance missions. Jamie Carter, Forbes, 16 May 2022 The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, a part of the 403rd Wing based in Biloxi, Mississippi, describes itself as the only operational unit in the world flying weather reconnaissance missions on a regular basis. Oren Liebermann And Barbara Starr, CNN, 30 Mar. 2022 In many cases, this involved sending small units of infantry on reconnaissance missions to find and engage Russian forces that had fanned out into villages near Kyiv, a soldier on one such mission said over the weekend. Andrew E. Kramer, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2022 It's also equipped with a quadcopter for aerial reconnaissance missions. Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 3 Aug. 2021 See More
Fox News, 3 Sep. 2022 The airplane, a P-38 Lightning, was on a reconnaissance mission over Thailand and Burma, now Myanmar, when it was most likely struck by lightning and fell from the sky. New York Times, 24 May 2022 Murphy, who was the workout's creator, was killed in 2005 on a reconnaissance mission in Afghanistan. Jeff Tomko, Men's Health, 20 May 2022 During World War II, motorcycles were widely used by militaries to conduct reconnaissance missions. Rachel Pannett, Washington Post, 26 May 2022 Exploring Mars since 2012, NASA’s rover is constantly getting overlooked in favor of the newer Perseverance rover, which landed in 2021 and has been sending its Ingenuity drone out on incredible reconnaissance missions. Jamie Carter, Forbes, 16 May 2022 The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, a part of the 403rd Wing based in Biloxi, Mississippi, describes itself as the only operational unit in the world flying weather reconnaissance missions on a regular basis. Oren Liebermann And Barbara Starr, CNN, 30 Mar. 2022 In many cases, this involved sending small units of infantry on reconnaissance missions to find and engage Russian forces that had fanned out into villages near Kyiv, a soldier on one such mission said over the weekend. Andrew E. Kramer, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2022 It's also equipped with a quadcopter for aerial reconnaissance missions. Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 3 Aug. 2021 See More 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
Kids Definition
reconnaissance
noun
re·con·nais·sance ri-ˈkä-nə-zəns
: a survey (as of enemy territory) to get information
reconnaissance
noun
as in surveillance
military activity in which soldiers, airplanes, etc., are sent to find out information about an enemy There are two helicopters available for reconnaissance. reconnaissance missions Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- surveillance
- observation
- spying
- espionage
- counterespionage
- counterintelligence
- intelligence
- tradecraft
- cloak-and-dagger
- wiretapping
- eavesdropping
- bugging
- lowdown
- goods
- dope