scale

1. 1.

   measure by or as if by a scale

   “This bike scales only 25 pounds”

   Broadermeasure
2. 2.

   pattern, make, regulate, set, measure, or estimate according to some rate or standard

   Broadermodel
3. 3.

   take by attacking with scaling ladders

   “The troops scaled the walls of the fort”

   Broadertake
4. 4.

   reach the highest point of

   “We scaled the Mont Blanc”

   Synonymssurmount

   Broaderreach
5. 5.

   climb up by means of a ladder

   Broaderclimb
6. 6.

   remove the scales from

   “scale fish”

   Synonymsdescale

   Broaderremove
7. 7.

   measure with or as if with scales

   “scale the gold”

   Broaderquantify
8. 8.

   size or measure according to a scale

   “This model must be scaled down”

   Broadersize

Other forms of scale

plural

scales·

past tense

scaled·

present participle

scaling·

Forms marked · are formed by the regular rule rather than recorded in the source data. English keeps a few hundred irregulars and the rest follow the pattern, so the rule is right far more often than not — but it is a rule, and the mark says so.

Questions about scale

What does scale mean?

scale means "an ordered reference standard". That is the primary sense; the word has 18 in total, listed in full on this page.

How many syllables are in scale?

scale has 1 syllable: scale. In IPA it is /ˈskeɪl/.

What is another word for scale?

Close synonyms include scale of measurement, graduated table, ordered series, scale leaf, scurf. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

Is scale a common word?

scale is banded "Common" — everyday vocabulary in speech and writing. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.

What rhymes with scale?

4 words rhyme with scale. Rhymes are matched on the phonemes from the last stressed vowel onward, which is the definition a reader has in their head.