I. scope 1 W3 AC /skəʊp $ skoʊp/ BrE AmE noun
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: Italian ; Origin: scopo 'purpose' , from Greek skopos ]
1 . [uncountable] the range of things that a subject, activity, book etc deals with
scope of
the need to define the scope of the investigation
measures to limit the scope of criminals’ activities
beyond/outside/within the scope of something
A full discussion of that issue is beyond the scope of this book.
widen/broaden/extend etc the scope of something
Let us extend the scope of the study to examine more factors.
narrow/limit etc the scope of something
The court’s ruling narrowed the scope of the affirmative action program.
limited/wider etc in scope
His efforts were too limited in scope to have much effect.
2 . [uncountable] the opportunity to do or develop something
scope for
The scope for successful gardening increases dramatically with a greenhouse.
there is considerable/great/little etc scope for something
There is considerable scope for further growth in the economy.
3 . [singular] informal a particular set of activities and the people who are involved in them SYN scene
the music/cinema/club etc scope
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COLLOCATIONS
■ adjectives
▪ broad
The new book has a broader scope.
▪ limited/narrow
The scope of the research was quite limited.
■ verbs
▪ widen/broaden the scope of something
The police are widening the scope of their investigation.
▪ extend/expand the scope of something
They may extend the scope of the project.
▪ narrow/limit the scope of something
He had severely limited the scope of his autobiography.
▪ define the scope of something (=say exactly what the scope is)
The group’s first task was to define the scope of the review.
▪ come/fall within the scope of something (=be included in it)
Banks and building societies fall within the scope of the new legislation.
▪ fall outside the scope of something (=not be included in it)
His later exploits in Persia fall outside the scope of this book.
■ phrases
▪ be limited/restricted in scope
The law is quite limited in scope.
▪ be national/international/global in scope (=include a whole country, several countries, or the whole world)
Some markets are local while others are national or international in scope.
II. scope 2 BrE AmE verb
scope somebody/something ↔ out phrasal verb American English informal
to look at something or someone to see what they are like:
Let’s go inside and scope out the menu.