ENGLISH
REFERENCE

survey

n. countable
A2 Elementary Oxford US //ˈsɝˌveɪ// sur·vey Academic Archaic General-service

n. a set of questions you ask many people to find out their opinions or behavior. You use the results to understand what a large group thinks about a topic.

n. an investigation of the opinions or experience of a group of people, based on a series of questions. Often used to gather statistical data for research or marketing purposes.


SIMPLE

The school conducted a survey about the new lunch menu.

CONTEXTUAL

According to a recent survey, most employees prefer a hybrid work schedule over being in the office full-time.

COMPLEX

The government commissioned a comprehensive survey to gauge public sentiment regarding the proposed environmental regulations before drafting the final legislation.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English surveyen, from Old French sourveoir, surveer (“to oversee”), from sour-, sur- (“over”) + veoir, veeir (“to see”), from Latin videre. See sur- and vision. Related to supervision.

Usage

Commonly takes the verbs 'conduct', 'carry out', or 'do'.

Pitfall

The research made a surveyThe research conducted a surveyLearners often use 'make' with survey, but the standard collocations are 'conduct', 'carry out', or 'do'.

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