scouts

Noun

scout (plural scouts)

1. A person sent out to gather and bring back information; especially, one employed in war to gain information about the enemy and ground.

   Synonyms:

   espial, espy

2. An act of scouting or reconnoitering.
   • while the rat is on the scout1782, William Cowper, “The Cricket”, in Poems, London: […] J[oseph] Johnson, […], →OCLC
3. A member of any number of youth organizations belonging to the international scout movement, such as the Boy Scouts of America or Girl Scouts of the United States.
   • At the crack of dawn on Wednesday four different groups of scouts will climb the highest peaks in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales to light flames and officially mark the start of the Paralympic torch relay.2012 August 21, Alexandra Topping, “Paralympic flames light up countdown to biggest Games in history”, in The Guardian
4. A person who assesses or recruits others; especially, one who identifies promising talent on behalf of a sports team.
   • We have met twice this year and, during our first interview, Mata spoke evocatively when remembering how, having joined Real Oviedo aged 10 in 1998, he was given a previously unimaginable opportunity. Mata sat in a car park in 2003, when he was 14, and watched his father talking to a Real Madrid...2018 January 1, Donald McRae, “The Guardian footballer of the year 2017: Juan Mata”, in The Guardian
5. A person employed to monitor rivals' activities in the petroleum industry.
6. (modern, Oxford University) A housekeeper or domestic cleaner, generally female, employed by one of the constituent colleges of Oxford University to clean rooms; generally equivalent to a modern bedder at Cambridge University.

See all 22 meanings of scout