/ skaʊt; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
1.
the Scouts [ pl. ] an organization (officially called the Scout Association ) originally for boys, which trains young people in practical skills and does a lot of activities with them, for example camping :
to join the Scouts
2.
( BrE ) a boy or girl who is a member of the Scouts :
Both my brothers were scouts.
a scout troop
—see also Boy Scout , Guide
—compare Brownie
3.
a person, an aircraft, etc. sent ahead to get information about the enemy's position, strength, etc.
4.
= talent scout
■ verb
1.
scout (around) (for sb/sth) to search an area or various areas in order to find or discover sth :
[ vn ]
They scouted the area for somewhere to stay the night.
[ v ]
The kids were scouting around for wood for the fire.
a military scouting party
2.
to look for sports players, actors, musicians, etc. who have special ability, so you can offer them work :
[ v ]
He scouts for Manchester United.
[also vn ]
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PHRASAL VERBS
- scout sth out
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English (as a verb): from Old French escouter listen, earlier ascolter , from Latin auscultare .