Meaning & use
security footage
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountable
Video recorded by cameras placed to watch a building, street, or area for safety.
Grammar: Uncountable, so say 'some footage' or 'a piece of footage', not 'a footage'.
Patterns
- security footage of something
- security footage from a camera
- review/check the security footage
Police reviewed the security footage from the parking garage.
The security footage showed a man entering the building at midnight.
They released security footage of the accident to the public.
noununcountabletechnical
Such recordings used as evidence or proof of what happened.
Grammar: Uncountable; often used with verbs like 'show', 'capture', and 'release'.
Patterns
- security footage shows/captures something
- be caught on security footage
The thief was caught on security footage leaving the store.
Prosecutors used security footage to prove he was at the scene.
Common combinations
- review the security footage
- Detectives reviewed the security footage frame by frame.
- security footage shows
- The security footage shows two people arguing outside the door.
- be caught on security footage
- He was caught on security footage taking the bicycle.
- release security footage
- The store released security footage to help identify the suspect.
- security camera footage
- Security camera footage from the lobby was unclear.
Synonyms and how they differ
- CCTV footage
- Common in British English for the same idea, especially for cameras in public places.
- surveillance video
- More formal and often suggests deliberate monitoring of people, not just safety recording.
- camera footage
- Broader; it can mean any video, while 'security footage' specifically comes from safety cameras.
Word family
- security camera noun
- The device that records security footage.
- footage noun
- Film or video of an event; the general word inside this phrase.
Commonly confused: security footage or footage? security footage or photo?
security footage vs footage
'Footage' alone means any video; 'security footage' is video from safety cameras.
security footage vs photo
A photo is a still picture, while footage is moving video.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence.
Choose one answer.
'Footage' is uncountable, so 'some security footage' is correct. 'A footage', 'footages', and 'many footage' all treat it as a countable noun, which English does not do.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “security footage”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.