1
: identical to an original in proportion and size
full-scale drawing
2
a
: involving full use of available resources
a full-scale biography
full-scale war
b
: total, complete
a full-scale musical renaissanceCurrent Biography

Examples of full-scale in a Sentence

a full-scale search and rescue for the victims of the rock slide
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The city -- home to more than 710,000 people before Russia's full-scale invasion -- is now only around 16 miles from the front line and subject to continuous Russian attacks. David Brennan, ABC News, 28 Sep. 2025 And of course, even the $2,000 iPhone 17 Pro Max with two terabytes of storage still comes in at much less than the cost of a full-scale TV-quality camera rig, opening the possibility of bringing top-level picture quality to more events. Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 26 Sep. 2025 This would serve as the final step before full-scale commercial operations. Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2025 The Ukrainian leader’s remarks come as his country is under martial law, imposed since Russia’s full-scale invasion started in February 2022. Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 26 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for full-scale

Word History

First Known Use

1887, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of full-scale was in 1887

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Cite this Entry

“Full-scale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/full-scale. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

full-scale

adjective
ˈfu̇l-ˈskā(ə)l
1
: identical to an original in size
2
: not limited in any way : using everything that can be used
a full-scale war
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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