1. size/level [singular, uncountable] the size or level of something, or the amount that something is happening
We had underestimated the scale of the problem.
on a large/small/grand etc scale
There has been housing development on a massive scale since 1980.
Most alternative technologies work best on a small scale.
A structural survey revealed the full scale of the damage.
I was shocked by the sheer scale (=very big scale) of the destruction.
on a global/international/world scale
Pollution could cause changes to weather patterns on a global scale.
Large firms benefit from economies of scale (=ways of saving money because they are big).
2. range [countable usually singular] a whole range of different types of people or things, from the lowest level to the highest:
Some rural schools have 50 pupils, while at the other end of the scale there are city schools with nearly 5,000 pupils.
up/down the scale
She gradually made her way up the social scale.
animals which are lower down the evolutionary scale (=the range of animals that have developed gradually over a long time)
3. for weighing scales [plural] British English scale American English a mchine for weighing people or objects:
a set of kitchen scales
some new bathroom scales (=scales that you use to weigh yourself)
4. measuring system [countable]TM a system of numbers that is used for measuring the amount, speed, quality etc of something
on a scale
The earthquakes measured 7 on the Richter scale.
changes to the company's pay scale
Your performance will be judged on a scale of 1 to 10.
We use a sliding scale (=in which prices are not firmly fixed) for charges.
5. measuring marks [countable]TM a set of marks with regular spaces between them on a tool that is used for measuring, or on the side of a mathematical drawing:
a ruler with a metric scale
6. map/model [uncountable and countable] the relationship between the size of a map, drawing, or model and the actual size of the place or thing that it represents:
a map with a scale of 1:250,000
to scale
All our models are made to scale.
scale model/drawing etc (=one done using a strict scale)
a scale drawing of the
7. music [countable]APM a series of musical notes that become higher or lower, with fixed distances between each note:
the scale of G major
8. fish [countable usually plural]HB one of the small flat pieces of skin that cover the bodies of fish, snakes etc
9. teeth [uncountable] British EnglishHB a white substance that forms on your teeth
10. water pipes [uncountable] a white substance that forms around the inside of hot water pipes or containers in which water is boiled
11. the scales fell from somebody's eyes literary used to say that someone suddenly realized something important
full-scale
large-scale
Richter scale
sliding scale
small-scale
timescale
at the other end of the scale
bathroom scales
economies of scale
full scale
on a global/international/world scale
on a large/small/grand etc scale
on a scale
on a scale of ... to
scale model/drawing etc
scale of
sheer scale
the evolutionary scale
the scales fell from sb's eyes
the social scale
up/down the scale
at the opposite end of the scale/spectrum-
diatonic scale
huge scale
lavish scale
on a heroic scale/of heroic proportions
on an unprecedented scale
scale sth down/back
scale sth to sth
scale sth up- see scale, v
scale the heights
tip the balance/scales
tip the scales at sth
Words used with: scale
ADJECTIVES:
different, full, global, grand, huge, international, large, massive, national, sheer, sliding,
small, social, unprecedented
NOUNS:
economy, model, pay, time, world
VERBS:
measure, tip
At the upper end of the scale is the , with tuition of over $9,000 a year.
Greg stood on the bathroom scale and looked in the mirror.
Hurricanes are graded on a scale from one to five, with five the strongest.
On a scale of one to ten, ten being best, his new movie is a two.
Rescue workers are trying to assess the scale of the disaster.
Scientists are only just beginning to realize the scale of the problem.
the scale on a thermometer
the F major scale
The map was drawn to a scale of one inch to the mile.
The researchers devised a scale to measure people's attitudes toward certain types of behavior.
The salary scale goes from $60,000 to $175,000.
We were not expecting a public response on such a scale.
sentences from books, newspapers, etc.
At the other end of the scale, good advice in these shops is sometimes very expensive.
Economies of scale and the use of computers were expected to reduce administrative costs.
How might we apply the lesson that these organizers learned on the much greater scale of an entire nation?
In order to ingratiate himself with the populace, he rebuilt the of on a hitherto unprecedented scale.
Seven of their 1:20 scale models have been chosen for exhibition and two have been combined to provide the full-scale installation.
The association between echographic measurement and visual scales is a simple method of evaluating the relationship between the stomach and appetite.
There is one large pointed slightly rugose tentacle scale on each pore.
This guy tips the scale at 400 pounds.
how big something is
size • how big • scale • magnitude
a standard by which something is judged
standard • scale • criterion • benchmark • yardstick
having a big effect
big • major • considerable • great • huge/enormous/immense • tremendous • large scale/large-scale
1 to climb to the top of something that is high and difficult to climb:
Rescuers had to scale a 300m cliff to reach the injured climber.
2 technical to make writing or a picture the right size for a particular purpose
scale something to something
The writing can be scaled to any size, depending on the paper.
3 scale the heights to be extremely successful:
By the age of 21 he had already scaled the heights in the academic world.
scale something ↔ down/back phrasal verb
to reduce the amount or size of something:
The emergency aid programme has now been scaled down.
scale something ↔ up phrasal verb
to increase the amount or size of something [↪ decrease]:
Production at the factory is being scaled up.