stakeout

Plural: stakeouts

Noun

• A period of surveillance of an area, especially by police.
• surveillance of some place or some person by the police (as in anticipation of a crime)
• The act of watching a location or people, generally covertly.

Examples

• My opponent was on a stakeout for any open ’Q’ spots on the board.
• The police had a stakeout in place where they expected the crime to occur.