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Synonyms

scale down

Idioms  

  1. Reduce the size or cost of, as in The owners decided to scale down wages. This expression, along with the related scale up, which refers to an increase, alludes to scale in the sense of “a fixed standard.” [Late 1800s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Extreme weather conditions are causing severe disruptions to logistics operations across Europe, with cargo vessels sheltering and terminals forced to halt or scale down activity, Maersk said on Wednesday.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 28, 2026

In the next year or two, there will once again be questions about whether he should remain a two-way player, or perhaps whether he should scale down his workload.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 24, 2025

AI has this ability to optimize processes and decisions and then be able to decide if you want to scale up or scale down the amount of resources dynamically.

From Barron's • Oct. 15, 2025

It’s still unclear why Tesla Diner decided to scale down its menu within such a short period of time.

From Salon • Aug. 18, 2025

Alexander had drawn a map of the nursery, tinted with watercolors and oriented according to the compass, with all the furniture drawn to scale, down to the last footstool.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.