scope
noun · verb
Simple meaning
The breadth, depth or reach of a subject.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
skohpIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈskoʊp
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
The breadth, depth or reach of a subject; the extent of applicability or relevance; a domain, purview or remit.
Potential range of action; degree of freedom; opportunity.
weaponry
A device used in aiming a projectile, through which the person aiming looks at the intended target.
Ellipsis of any word ending in -scope, such as endoscope, periscope, telescope, microscope, oscilloscope, and so on.
verb
informal
To examine under a microscope.
To define the scope of something.
informaltransitive
To perform a cursory investigation of; scope out.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The breadth, depth or reach of a subject; the extent of applicability or relevance; a domain, purview or remit.
Used this way, scope is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A highly publicized trial in 1925 when John Thomas Scopes violated a Tennessee state law by teaching evolution in high school.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Collections with this word
Themed sets you can browse for free.
Use it yourself
Knowing “scope” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.