26984 words

scale

22 definitions • 30 examples
1
a set of numbers, amounts, etc., used to measure or compare the level of something:

Examples:

How would you rate his work on a scale of 1 to 5?
2
the relation between the real size of something and its size on a map, model, or diagram:

Examples:

a scale of 1:50,000
This map is large scale (= things are shown in detail).
Is the bridge drawn to scale (= so that it shows the exact shape of the bridge, but much smaller)?
He was building a scale model of the Empire State Building.
3
the size or level of something, especially when this is large:

Examples:

We don't yet know the scale of the problem.
Nuclear weapons cause destruction on a massive scale (= cause a lot of destruction).
My parents used to entertain friends on a large/small scale (= they had large/small parties).
4
a device for weighing things or people:

Examples:

5
a weighing device with two containers connected to a metal bar that is free to move up and down about its fixed central point. An object of known weight is put in one container and the thing to be weighed is put in the other.
6
a set of notes played or sung in order, going up or down:

Examples:

the scale of G major
You should practise your scales every day.
7
one of the many very small, flat pieces that cover the skin of fish, snakes, etc.
8
a hard, white or grey layer of material that forms on the inside of pipes or containers that heat water
9
to climb up a steep surface, such as a wall or the side of a mountain, often using special equipment:

Examples:

The prisoner scaled the high prison wall and ran off.
10
to remove tartar (= hard white substance) and plaque (= soft substance in which bacteria breed) from teeth:

Examples:

The dentist scaled and polished my teeth last week.
11
a range of numbers used as a system to measure or compare things:

Examples:

Restaurant ratings are on a scale of zero to five stars.
12
a series of marks in a line with regular spaces between them for measuring, or an object for measuring marked in this way:

Examples:

The two scales show inches and centimeters.
13
the size or level of something in comparison to what is average:

Examples:

Our problems are like those in the city, just on a smaller scale.
14
a device for weighing people or things:

Examples:

a baby scale
a postal scale
15
the relationship of the size of a map, drawing, or model of something to the size of the actual thing:

Examples:

[ C ] The model was built at a 1-inch-to-1-foot scale.
16
a set of musical notes in which each note is higher or lower than the previous one by a particular amount:

Examples:

Tyler practices scales on the piano every day.
17
any of the thin pieces of hard skin covering the bodies of fish, snakes, and lizards
18
to climb up something steep, such as a cliff or wall:

Examples:

He scaled a steep cliff beside the river.
19
the size or level of something, especially when this is large:

Examples:

the scale of sth We failed to recognize the scale of the problem.
on a large/small scale.
20
a set of numbers, amounts, etc. used to measure or compare the level of something:

Examples:

on a scale of 1 to 10/zero to 100, etc. How would you rate his work on a scale of 1 to 5?
at the top/bottom of the scale
21
the relation between the real size of something and its size on a map, model, or diagram:

Examples:

to scale The map is drawn to scale.
a scale drawing/model
22
a piece of equipment for weighing things or people:

Examples:

The mail is weighed on a scale.

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