Macmillan Dictionary

Did you know?

Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word

scale

 - definition
 
 
 
Close

What are red words?

90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing. These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are more frequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.

Close

Thesaurus

The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.

more
noun American English pronunciation: scale /skeɪl/ 
Word Forms
Close
singularscale
pluralscales
Other entries for this word
 
  1. 1
    [singular/uncountable] the size of something, especially when it is big
    scale of:

    Is the Government aware of the full scale of the problem?

    on a large/small/grand/massive etc. scale:

    This is sculpture on a grand scale.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of scale
    1. a.
      the rate at which something is produced, developed, etc.
      scale of:

      The scale of production in the factory has increased this year.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of scale
    See also  economies of scale
  2. 2
    [countable] [usually singular] a set of people or things arranged in order from the highest level to the lowest or from the lowest level to the highest

    The rich are at the top of the social scale.

    At the other end of the scale are worms and the tiny sea creatures.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of scale
    1. a.
      a range of measurements in a particular system

      the Celsius scale of temperature

      on a scale of 1 to 10:

      Rate these movies on a scale of 1 to 10.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of scale
    2. b.
      a list showing the amount of money that someone should be paid for a particular job, according to their qualifications, experience, etc.

      Our scale of fees is shown on the next page.

      Expenses will be paid in accordance with the agreed scale.

      salary/pay/fee scale:

      The salary scale is $22,086 to $32,311.

      union scale (=the rate agreed by the employers and the workers' union for a job):

      We're required to pay union scale to everyone who works on-site.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of scale
    3. c.
      a set of marks, usually lines and numbers, on a piece of equipment or a drawing, used for measuring something

      the vertical scale on the graph

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of scale
  3. 3
    [countable/uncountable] the relationship between the actual distance or size of something and how it is shown on a map or in a drawing or model

    This map has a scale of 1:20,000.

    a scale of a half-inch to the mile

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of scale
  4. 4
    [countable] [usually plural] a piece of equipment used for weighing people or things

    He weighed himself on the bathroom scale.

    a pair/set of scales

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of scale
    See also  tip2

This is the American English definition of scale. View British English definition of scale.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to British English.

View the pronunciation for scale.

 

cyberloafing

using the Internet where you work, during working hours, for activities which are not work-related

BuzzWord Article

Word of the Day

wane

getting smaller, weaker, or less important

Open Dictionary

show a bit of ankle

… to reveal a small part of your intentions in order to attract support, without actually committing yourself to doing anything

add a word

Blog

A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.

global English and language change from our blog