scaledown

[ skeyl-doun ]

noun
  1. a reduction in size, quantity, or activity according to a fixed scale or proportion: a scaledown of military expenditures.

Origin of scaledown

1
First recorded in 1930–35; noun use of verb phrase scale down
  • Also called scale·back [skeyl-bak]. /ˈskeɪlˌbæk/.

Words Nearby scaledown

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Other Idioms and Phrases with scaledown

scaledown

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]

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