reconnoitre
verb · noun
Simple meaning
To perform a reconnaissance.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
reekuhnoyterSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ɹikəˈnɔɪtɚ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
transitiveintransitivemilitary
To perform a reconnaissance (of an area; an enemy position); to scout with the aim of gaining information.
noun
An act or instance of reconnoitring.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient (estimated)
- Typical Use
- Rare
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To perform a reconnaissance (of an area; an enemy position); to scout with the aim of gaining information.
Used this way, reconnoitre is a specialist word with a faintly unfavourable edge. This is a military use: it belongs to service and operational language.
- Emotional tone
- Slightly negative
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Critical or judgemental
- Usage feel
- Clinical and detached
Where it naturally appears
- Military
- Historical writing
- News/reporting
- Technical/specialist writing
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Nearby words
- reconnoiter , used mainly in Regional English
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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