reconnoitre
[verb]
Synonyms: inspect, case (slang), explore, investigate, observe, scan, spy out, survey

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

re‧con‧noi‧tre British English, reconnoiter American English /ˌrekəˈnɔɪtə $ ˌriːkəˈnɔɪtər/ verb [intransitive and transitive]
[Date: 1700-1800; Origin: Early French reconnoître, from Old French reconoistre; ⇒ recognize]

1. to try to find out the position and size of your enemy’s army, for example by flying planes over land where their soldiers are

2. to find out information about an area:
All morning, the world’s top cyclists have been reconnoitring the course.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲