scale

1 of 7

noun (1)

ˈskāl 

1

: an instrument or machine for weighing

2

a

: a beam that is supported freely in the center and has two pans of equal weight suspended from its ends

—usually used in plural

b

: either pan or tray of a balance

scale

2 of 7

verb (1)

scaled; scaling

transitive verb

: to weigh in scales

intransitive verb

: to have a specified weight on scales

scale

3 of 7

noun (2)

1

a

: a small, flattened, rigid, and definitely circumscribed plate forming part of the external body covering especially of a fish

b

: a small thin plate suggesting a fish scale

scales of mica

the scales on a moth's wing

c

: the scaly covering of a scaled animal

2

: a small thin dry lamina shed (as in many skin diseases) from the skin

3

: a thin coating, layer, or incrustation: such as

a

: a usually black scaly coating of oxide forming on the surface of a metal (such as iron) when it is heated for processing

b

: a hard incrustation usually rich in sulfate of calcium that is deposited on the inside of a vessel (such as a boiler) in which water is heated

4

a

: a modified leaf protecting a seed plant bud before expansion

b

: a thin, membranous, chaffy, or woody bract

5

a

: any of the small overlapping usually metal pieces forming the outer surface of scale armor

b

: scale armor

6

a

: scale insect

b

: infestation with or disease caused by scale insects

scaled

ˈskāld 

adjective

scaleless

ˈskāl-ləs 

adjective

scale

4 of 7

verb (2)

scaled; scaling

transitive verb

1

: to remove the scale or scales from (as by scraping)

scale a fish

2

: to take off in thin layers or scales

scale tartar from the teeth

3

: to throw (something, such as a thin, flat stone) so that the edge cuts the air or so that it skips on water : skim

intransitive verb

1

: to separate and come off in scales : flake

2

: to shed scales

scaling skin

scale

5 of 7

noun (3)

1

: a graduated series of musical tones ascending or descending in order of pitch according to a specified scheme of their intervals

2

: something graduated especially when used as a measure or rule: such as

a

: an indication of the relationship between the distances on a map and the corresponding actual distances

b

: a series of marks or points at known intervals used to measure distances (such as the height of the mercury in a thermometer)

c

: ruler sense 3

3

a

: a graduated series or scheme of rank or order

a scale of taxation

b

: minimum wage sense 2

4

a

: a proportion between two sets of dimensions (as between those of a drawing and its original)

b

: a distinctive relative size, extent, or degree

projects done on a large scale

5

: a graded series of tests or of performances used in rating individual intelligence or achievement

6

a

archaic : a means of ascent

b

obsolete : ladder

scale adjective

scale

6 of 7

verb (3)

scaled; scaling

transitive verb

1

a

: to climb up or reach by means of a ladder

b

: to attack with or take by means of scaling ladders

scale a castle wall

c

: to reach the highest point of : surmount

scale a mountain

2

a

: to pattern, make, regulate, set, or estimate according to some rate or standard : adjust

a production schedule scaled to actual need

—often used with back, down, or up

scale down imports

b

: to arrange in a graduated series

c(1)

: to measure by or as if by a scale

(2)

: to measure or estimate the sound content of (logs, standing timber, etc.)

intransitive verb

1

: to climb by or as if by a ladder

2

: to rise in a graduated series

3

: measure

scale

7 of 7

noun (4)

1

: an estimate of the amount of sound lumber in logs or standing timber

2

obsolete : escalade

Phrases

to scale

: according to the proportions of an established scale of measurement

floor plans drawn to scale

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• balance

Verb (1)

• gauge
• gage
• measure
• span

Noun (2)

• lamella
• lamina
• plate

Noun (3)

• graduation
• hierarchy
• ladder
• ordering
• ranking

Examples of scale in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Movements like these, when happening in tandem, can have a lasting impact on a larger scale, Sumner said, not only increasing unemployment rates, but also changing patterns in where people live and find jobs. —Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 6 Apr. 2024

Inspired by baseball pennants, some have compared the ballpark’s design to the Sydney Opera House, while others likened the individual tiers to the scales of an armadillo. —Jill Martin, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024

Reports by Sports & Fitness Industry Association's Single Sport Reports for Martial Arts and Boxing Fitness (SFIA) and IBISWorld statistics underscore the scale and growth of the martial arts industry. —Kansas City Star, 5 Apr. 2024

Many of those services and amenities are available at existing shelters, but this would be on a grand scale. —Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2024

Trump—he of the border wall and family separation—is now campaigning in 2024 on a promise to undertake mass arrests and deportations on a scale never before seen in the U.S. —Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2024

Pregnancy itself was only my first taste of the joy and fear my daughters have brought streaming into my life, in quantities that have reset my scales. —Clare Beams, Vogue, 5 Apr. 2024

Rebel Wilson details how Hollywood’s pay scales can increase exponentially in her new memoir, Rebel Rising. —Zoe G Phillips, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Apr. 2024

Shaking categories are based on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale. —John Yoon, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2024

Verb

Previously working on a system designed in a monolithic pattern and deployed on-premise, Mahalingam broke the system in his company, into microservices and migrated it to Azure cloud to scale automatically with the seasonally increasing or decreasing transaction volume. —Hilary Tetenabaum, USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024

About this story Due to the uncertainty of the configuration of the debris in the river, renderings may not be to scale. —Leslie Shapiro, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024

After ditching its initial AI offering, Bard, Google is scaling up its Gemini AI model after stumbles related to historically inaccurate image generation. —Dylan Sloan, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2024

Trian also proposed to scale down ESPN’s direct-to-consumer ambitions. —Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Apr. 2024

Doing the same for water efficiency programs would enable utilities to substantially scale up these efforts but keep rates affordable by spreading the costs over time to match the long-term benefits. —Cynthia Koehler, The Mercury News, 3 Apr. 2024

Even so, modern luxury is a high-volume business that has been modernized, scaled up, and made far more efficient, most prominently by LVMH, the corporate conglomerate that owns brands including Louis Vuitton, Dior, and Fendi. —Amanda Mull, The Atlantic, 2 Apr. 2024

Chronic shortages of supplies from the Colorado River, a key source for Southern California, are also forcing water managers to make plans for scaling back water use. —Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2024

The confirmation followed reports of the sovereign's desire to partake in the holiday church service, expected to be scaled down. —Erin Hill, Peoplemag, 31 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English scole, scale bowl, scale of a balance, from Old Norse skāl; akin to Old Norse skel shell — more at shell

Noun (2)

Middle English, from Anglo-French escale, eschale, of Germanic origin; akin to Old English scealu shell, husk — more at shell

Noun (3)

Middle English, from Late Latin scala ladder, staircase, from Latin scalae, plural, stairs, rungs, ladder; akin to Latin scandere to climb — more at scan

Verb (3) and Noun (4)

Middle English, from scale entry 5

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2b

Verb (1)

1691, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (3)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 6b

Verb (3)

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1b

Noun (4)

circa 1587, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing scale

• arithmetic scale
• Binet-Simon scale
• armored scale
• economy of scale
• large-scale
• Mercalli scale
• large-scale integration
• HO scale
• on a global scale
• purple scale
• San Jose scale
• logarithmic scale
• scale the heights of
• scale model
• scale-up
• small-scale
• sub-scale
• wage scale
• bud scale
• Beaufort scale
• gapped scale
• Richter scale
• gray scale
• scale-down
• scale armor
• Brix scale
• full-scale
• chromatic scale
• scale insect
• on a scale of
• cottony-cushion scale
• sliding scale
• the Richter scale
• to scale

Kids Definition

scale

1 of 6 noun

ˈskā(ə)l 

1

a

: either pan of a balance

b

: balance entry 1 sense 1

—usually used in plural

2

: a device for weighing

a bathroom scale

scale

2 of 6 verb

scaled; scaling

1

: to weigh in scales

2

: to have a specified weight

scale

3 of 6 noun

1

a

: any of the small stiff flat plates that form an outer covering on the body of some animals and especially fishes and reptiles

b

: a small thin plate that resembles an animal scale

scales of mica

the scales on a moth's wing

2

: a small thin flake (as of dandruff) shed from the skin

3

: a thin layer or coating formed especially on metal (as iron)

boiler scale

4

: a special leaf that covers a bud of a seed plant

5

a

: scale insect

b

: a disease of plants caused by a scale insect

scaleless

ˈskā(ə)l-ləs 

adjective

scalelike

ˈskā(ə)l-ˌlīk

adjective

scale

4 of 6 verb

scaled; scaling

1

: to remove scale or the scales from

scale a boiler

scale fish

2

: to take off in scales or thin layers

scale the bark off a tree

3

: to come off in scales or shed scales : flake

4

: to throw a flat object so as to sail in air or skip on water

scale

5 of 6 noun

1

: a series of tones going up or down in pitch with each tone having a fixed relationship to those above and below it

2

a

: a series of spaces marked by lines and used to measure distances or to register something (as the height of the mercury in a thermometer)

b

: a divided line on a map or chart indicating the length (as an inch) used to represent a larger unit of measure (as a mile)

c

: an instrument consisting of a strip (as of wood, plastic, or metal) with spaces on its surface that are evenly divided and numbered for measuring distances or amounts

3

: a series divided into classes

4

: the size of a picture, plan, or model of a thing compared to the size of the thing itself

5

: size in comparison

do things on a large scale

6

: a rule by which something can be measured or judged

scale

6 of 6 verb

scaled; scaling

1

: to climb by or as if by a ladder

scale a wall

scale a cliff

2

a

: to arrange in order with the highest assigned one value (as a grade of A) and the lowest another value (as a grade of D) with the rest placed in groups between the two

scale a test

b

: to measure by or as if by a scale

c

: to make, regulate, or estimate by a rule

scale down the budget

scaler noun

Etymology

Noun

Middle English scale "bowl, pan or tray of a balance," of Norse origin

Noun

Middle English scale "a plate on the skin of a fish," from early French escale (same meaning); of Germanic origin

Noun

Middle English scale "ladder," from Latin scala "ladder, staircase," from earlier scalae (plural) "stairs, rungs, ladder"

Medical Definition

scale

1 of 5 noun

ˈskā(ə)l 

1

a

: either pan or tray of a balance

b

: a beam that is supported freely in the center and has two pans of equal weight suspended from its ends

—usually used in plural

2

: an instrument or machine for weighing

scale

2 of 5 verb

scaled; scaling

transitive verb

: to weigh in scales

intransitive verb

: to have a specified weight on scales

scale

3 of 5 noun

1

: a small thin dry lamina shed (as in many skin diseases) from the skin

2

: a film of tartar encrusting the teeth

scale

4 of 5 verb

scaled; scaling

transitive verb

: to take off in thin layers or scales

scale tartar from the teeth

intransitive verb

1

: to separate or come off in thin layers or laminae

2

: to shed scales or fragmentary surface matter : exfoliate

scaling skin

scale

5 of 5 noun

1

: a series of marks or points at known intervals used to measure distances (as the height of the mercury in a thermometer)

2

: a graduated series or scheme of rank or order

3

: a graded series of tests or of performances used in rating individual intelligence or achievement

Legal Definition

scale

noun

: a set of graduated wage rates

also : a wage consistent with such rates compare minimum wage