scope out

British

verb

to assess the potential of an opportunity or suggestion

a scoping-out study

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

scope out

Carney instructed his special envoy to Europe to "scope out the most ambitious possibilities short of full membership", the paper reported.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

Dig through that stack of mail on your counter for circulars and search your email inbox for any grocery-store brand names to scope out advertised deals.

From MarketWatch ● May 22, 2026

This meant shoppers had to scope out two sections of the store to outfit their rooms.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 2, 2026

Then parliament appoints an "informateur" to scope out the possible contours of a coalition agreement.

From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2025

I move up in the line and scope out the photographer’s setup.

From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina

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