Definition, synonyms and related words
plural of survey
"The marketing team analyzed hundreds of customer surveys to determine which new flavor would sell best."
In plain English: Surveys are questionnaires used to gather opinions or information from a group of people.
"The government sent out surveys to find out what people think about the new tax laws."
Third-person singular simple present indicative form of survey
"The researcher surveys the neighborhood to gather data on local traffic patterns."
In plain English: To survey something means to look at it carefully from different angles to get a complete picture of what is there.
"The marketing team surveys customers to see what they think about the new product."
Derived from Old French surer (to be sure), this term entered English in the 16th century with the original meaning of making something certain or secure before evolving to denote measuring land. The modern sense of conducting a systematic examination comes from the idea of securing knowledge through observation and calculation.