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
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
6
a
b
: infestation with or disease caused by scale insects
scaled; scaling
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
3
a
: a graduated series or scheme of rank or order
a scale of taxation
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
scaled; scaling
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 upscale 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.)
1
: an estimate of the amount of sound lumber in logs or standing timber
2
obsolete
: escalade
Examples of scale in a Sentence
Noun (1)
I hate getting on the bathroom scale
Verb (1)
scaled the logs to get a rough idea of the amount of usable lumber they were likely to yield
Noun (2)
scales of mica were embedded in the granite
Noun (3)
a student who scored very highly on a standard intelligence scale
with the scale going from one to ten, what did you think of the movie?
Recent Examples on the Web
Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
This week, at the annual Future Investment Initiative in the same location, the scale, ambition and deep pockets behind the project came into clearer focus.
—Tala Alrajjal, CNN Money, 2 Nov. 2025
Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
With new demarcations of land, Pinjar reflects how such violence scaled up.
—JSTOR Daily, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scale
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Noun
And while the scale of the last two years’ violence is unprecedented, the fact of it is not new.
—Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
This week, at the annual Future Investment Initiative in the same location, the scale, ambition and deep pockets behind the project came into clearer focus.
—Tala Alrajjal, CNN Money, 2 Nov. 2025
Verb
The technology has demonstrated promise at lab scale and could be scaled up for commercial production, according to the research team.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
With new demarcations of land, Pinjar reflects how such violence scaled up.
—JSTOR Daily, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scale
Cite this Entry
“Scale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scale. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
scale
1 of 6 noun1
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 noun1
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
b
: a disease of plants caused by a scale insect
scalelike
adjective
ˈskā(ə)l-ˌlīk
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 noun1
: 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 off by lines and used for measuring distances, amounts, or quantities
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 noun1
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
3 of 5 noun1
: a small thin dry lamina shed (as in many skin diseases) from the skin
2
: a film of tartar encrusting the teeth
scale
5 of 5 noun1
: 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
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