scale

1 of 3

verb (1)

scaled; scaling

transitive verb

: to weigh in scales

intransitive verb

: to have a specified weight on scales

scale

2 of 3

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

3 of 3

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

Synonyms of scale

Verb (1)

• measure
• gauge

Examples of scale in a Sentence

Verb (1)

scaled the logs to get a rough idea of the amount of usable lumber they were likely to yield

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

An all encompassing definition of maternal dispossession scales the degrees to which Black mothers are victimized by the enduring projects of capitalism and colonialism. —Literary Hub, 8 June 2026

Tensions rose once again this weekend outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, after the mayor scaled back local law enforcement. —Christina Fan, CBS News, 7 June 2026

Almost all major oil refineries in central Russia ‌have halted or scaled back production, and some have been hit more than once. —Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 7 June 2026

People in that income group began scaling back their fast-food purchases after the period of inflation that accompanied the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the trend picked up speed last year. —Anne D'innocenzio, Fortune, 7 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb (3)

Middle English, from scale entry 5

First Known Use

Verb (1)

1691, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Verb (2)

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

Verb (3)

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

Phrases Containing scale

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

Rhymes for scale

• ail
• ale
• bail
• baile
• dail
• fail
• flail
• frail
• gael
• gail
• grail
• hail

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 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 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