scale 1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈskāl How to pronounce scale (audio)
Definition of scalenext
as in balance
a device for measuring weight I hate getting on the bathroom scale

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Relevance

scale

2 of 4

noun (2)

as in plate
a small thin piece of material that resembles an animal scale scales of mica were embedded in the granite

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scale

3 of 4

noun (3)

1
as in hierarchy
a scheme of rank or order a student who scored very highly on a standard intelligence scale

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2
as in spectrum
the distance or extent between possible extremes with the scale going from one to ten, what did you think of the movie?

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scale

4 of 4

verb

as in to measure
to find out the size, extent, or amount of scaled the logs to get a rough idea of the amount of usable lumber they were likely to yield

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of scale
Noun
To date, UConn’s biggest achievement on a national scale was making it to a BCS bowl game in 2011. — Eric Womack, Hartford Courant, 18 Oct. 2026 The Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky is perhaps the greatest chronicler of that era of scale, which stretched across the long twentieth century and only now shows the first signs of receding. — Bill McKibben, The New York Review of Books, 17 Oct. 2026
Verb
One partner can scale back their memory in a particular domain where their spouse has expertise. — Harvard Business Review, 15 Oct. 2026 Its lead comes from scaling the two chemistries that dominate today, NMC and lithium iron phosphate, or LFP. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for scale
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scale
  1. balance
  2. plate
  3. hierarchy
  4. spectrum
  5. measure
  6. ladder
  7. range
  8. gauge
Noun
  • Future retirees should consider everything from income, expenses and retirement-account balances to Social Security, health insurance and tax costs, at 65 and 67.
    — John Csiszar, Washington Post, 11 Oct. 2026
  • The goal is not to abandon one home for another, but to explore whether a balance between two industry bases is possible.
    — Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of balance
Noun
  • Most electric cars combat this by laying a flat cooling plate underneath the battery.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Fruits and vegetables Those trying to lose belly fat should load up their plates with vegetables that are low in calories and full of fiber, Aziz said.
    — Sadie Chafe, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of plate
Noun
  • The Argentina defender called out United's hierarchy over its offseason recruitment, with director of football Jason Wilcox the apparent target of his criticism.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • How far might a nation go that had no kings to depose, no entrenched hierarchies to uproot, a country so young and iconoclastic and resource-rich?
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of hierarchy
Noun
  • Hottest genres in Spain As in the rest of the world, dramas – across a wide spectrum of crime, suspense and fantasy to family drama – proved the hottest genre, weighing in as half the premieres during that period (15 titles).
    — Annika Pham, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Talarico engaged in a debate with six voters from across the political spectrum, with each coming to the stage to sit down across the table from the candidate.
    — Lauren Green, The Washington Examiner, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of spectrum
Verb
  • Engagement is often seen as a metric about sentiment that can be measured and tracked, but is treated as something employees bring—or fail to bring—to their jobs.
    — Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Testing sensors on canisters During the INL demonstration, researchers installed optical fibers outside a mock nuclear fuel canister and tested several arrangements to measure acoustic vibrations.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of measure
Noun
  • On a recent Saturday, Sawitskas hopped on a ladder to analyze the condition of the mechanisms that raise and lower the horses and started poring over carousel history books to match the horses with their original paint colors.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The loss is felt at the very first rung of the corporate ladder.
    — Anna Maria Chavez, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of ladder
Noun
  • Coccinelle, set up by Francesca Breccia, sells independent titles on the international circuit, pairing films and their rights owners with buyers and distributors in a range of territories.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Trivariate Research shows with this chart that only 34% of large-cap stocks have beaten the S&P 500 over the past 12 months, near the low end of the historical range for this metric.
    — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of range
Verb
  • The most impressive and compelling feature that the Japanese Microwave offers is definitely the sensor tech that can automatically gauge how long your food needs to be reheated.
    — Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 16 Oct. 2026
  • One of the few high-frequency data sources for gauging mill demand is the USDA’s weekly export sales report.
    — SJ Guest Editorial, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of gauge

Browse Nearby Words

scalds
scale
scaled
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Cite this Entry

“Scale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scale. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about scale

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