(~s, scaling, ~d)
Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.
1.
If you refer to the ~ of something, you are referring to its size or extent, especially when it is very big.
However, he underestimates the ~ of the problem...
The break-down of law and order could result in killing on a massive ~...
N-SING: also no det, with supp
see also full-~ , large-~ , small-~
2.
A ~ is a set of levels or numbers which are used in a particular system of measuring things or are used when comparing things.
...an earthquake measuring five-point-five on the Richter ~...
The higher up the social ~ they are, the more the men have to lose.
N-COUNT: usu with supp
see also sliding ~ , time~
3.
A pay ~ or ~ of fees is a list that shows how much someone should be paid, depending, for example, on their age or what work they do. (BRIT)
...those on the high end of the pay ~...
N-COUNT: usu with supp
4.
The ~ of a map, plan, or model is the relationship between the size of something in the map, plan, or model and its size in the real world.
The map, on a ~ of 1:10,000, shows over 5,000 individual paths.
N-COUNT: usu with supp
see also full-~ , large-~
5.
A ~ model or ~ replica of a building or object is a model of it which is smaller than the real thing but has all the same parts and features.
Franklin made his mother an intricately detailed ~ model of the house.
ADJ: ADJ n
6.
In music, a ~ is a fixed sequence of musical notes, each one higher than the next, which begins at a particular note.
...the ~ of C major.
N-COUNT
7.
The ~s of a fish or reptile are the small, flat pieces of hard skin that cover its body.
N-COUNT: usu pl
8.
Scales are a piece of equipment used for weighing things, for example for weighing amounts of food that you need in order to make a particular meal.
...a pair of kitchen ~s.
...bathroom ~s...
N-PLURAL: also a pair of N
9.
If you ~ something such as a mountain or a wall, you climb up it or over it. (WRITTEN)
...Rebecca Stephens, the first British woman to ~ Everest...
= climb
VERB: V n
10.
If something is out of ~ with the things near it, it is too big or too small in relation to them.
The tower was surmounted by an enormous statue, utterly out of ~ with the building.
PHRASE: usu v-link PHR, oft PHR with n
11.
If the different parts of a map, drawing, or model are to ~, they are the right size in relation to each other.
...a miniature garden, with little pagodas and bridges all to ~.
PHRASE: v-link PHR, PHR after v