extent or range of view, outlook, application, operation, effectiveness, etc..
an investigation of wide scope.
space for movement or activity; opportunity for operation.
to give one's fancy full scope.
extent in space; a tract or area.
length.
a scope of cable.
aim or purpose.
Linguistics, Logic. the range of words or elements of an expression over which a modifier or operator has control.
In “old men and women,” “old” may either take “men and women” or just “men” in its scope.
(used as a short form of microscope, oscilloscope, periscope, radarscope, riflescope, telescopic sight, etc.)
opportunity for exercising the faculties or abilities; capacity for action
plenty of scope for improvement
range of view, perception, or grasp; outlook
the area covered by an activity, topic, etc; range
the scope of his thesis was vast
nautical slack left in an anchor cable
logic linguistics that part of an expression that is governed by a given operator: the scope of the negation in PV– ( q ∧ r ) is –( q ∧ r )
informal short for telescope microscope oscilloscope
archaic purpose or aim
See range.
First recorded in 1525–35; from Italian scopo, from Greek skopós “aim, mark to shoot at”; akin to skopeîn “to look at” ( see -scope)
< New Latin -scopium < Greek -skopion, -skopeion, equivalent to skop ( eîn ) to look at (akin to sképtesthai to look, view carefully; cf. skeptic) + -ion, -eion noun suffix
Business people like to use the word scope because it specifies the extent of their responsibilities. Once you know the scope of a project, you can decide if you're qualified and how much time it will take to do it. If your boss gives you a new task and you don't want to do it, tell him or her it's not within the scope of your duties. A scope is also a device used to see something in the distance. You'll find one on shotguns, submarines, radars and the like. You can use scope as a verb meaning "to look out or around." When you and your friends go out, you probably scope out a few places to see where the action is.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
While the scope of the tariffs is relatively modest—$20 billion out of more than $380 billion of Canadian exports to the U.S.—the legal justification raised eyebrows in trade circles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
"Actors drive all the performances, and we use these tools to amplify the sets and the scope of the shows," he said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
Since then, El Malilla has expanded the scope of reggaeton Mexa following collaborations with Puerto Rican pioneers such as Jowell y Randy and Colombian superstar J Balvin.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
There is scope for this model to extend to housing and other infrastructure.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
The answers are complex, not mutually exclusive, and mostly beyond the scope of this book.
From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro
On Friday, several groups of fans aimed their spotting scopes and binoculars at the nest from Dana Point Park.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
Beretta Holding now houses more than 20 international brands, including historic British shotgun maker Holland & Holland, a Finnish sniper-rifle maker and Steiner, which produces rifle scopes in Ohio.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 16, 2026
Sewer scopes allow plumbers to get a clear visual all the way down in the pipes.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 22, 2024
He said those delays would put Orsted in "a situation where we would need to go out and recontract all or very large scopes of the project at expectedly higher prices."
From Reuters ● Nov. 3, 2023
With my cloaking device engaged, I selected the nearest instance of the city and landed the Vonnegut just outside the wall of its dome, watching my scopes for other ships.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy meanwhile scoped the industry out for a possible partner for Spirit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 2, 2026
It said residents and workers suffered while the council "dither around a deal already scoped out at conciliation service Acas".
From BBC ● Mar. 11, 2026
Those goals, he argued, were "scoped and reasonable objectives that can be attained."
From Barron's ● Mar. 3, 2026
Gutierrez allegedly pointed the laser upward while the officers scoped the area.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 12, 2025
After Gran had shared the former news anchor’s proposal, my parents scoped out Ms. Campbell’s online video blog, Black, Vegan, and Proud, before giving the okay.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
He is in Norway this month scoping out locations to add to his company’s itineraries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
Ardern and her husband were seen scoping out properties for sale in Sydney's beachside northern suburbs of Freshwater and Curl Curl, property website realestate.com.au said.
From Barron's ● Feb. 26, 2026
Published under the title "Microplastics and Global Warming: A Hidden Climate Threat Uncovered in a New Perspective," the study provides a scoping review of existing research.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 17, 2026
He said the DWP was carrying out "scoping work" on whether introducing a taper might incentivise unpaid carers to do some paid work.
From BBC ● Apr. 15, 2025
“Yes, ma’am. I’ve been scoping out all the library lovers bunking at my motel. Looking for just one of ’em to help me do what needs to be done.
From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein
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.
