scale

S1 W1

BrE /skeɪl/ AmE /skeɪl/

noun / verb en → es

past scaled pp scaled ing scaling

1 MEASUREMENT UNIT [countable] A2

a system of measurement with numbers that show the size or amount of something

unidad de medida, escala

  • on a scale from 1 to 10

Collocations temperature scale · weight scale

  • The temperature was measured on a Celsius scale.

    La temperatura se midió en una escala Celsius.

2 SIZE [uncountable] B1

the size of something, especially when compared to other things or to the same thing at a different time

tamaño, proporción

  • on a large/small scale

Collocations large-scale project · small-scale operation

  • The company operates on a global scale.

    La empresa opera en una escala global.

3 WEIGHT [countable] A2

a device for weighing things or people

balanza, pesa

  • stand on a scale

Collocations digital scale · bathroom scale

  • She stepped onto the bathroom scale.

    Ella se subió a la balanza del baño.

4 REMOVE [transitive] B1

to remove something by scraping it off with your fingernails or a tool

quitar, raspar

  • scale sth off

Collocations scale paint off the wall · scale rust off metal

  • He scaled the old paint off the fence.

    Él raspó la pintura vieja de la cerca.

5 CLIMB [transitive] B1

to climb up something, especially a mountain or rock face

escalar, trepar

  • scale sth

Collocations scale a cliff · scale the mountains

  • They planned to scale the highest peak.

    Ellos planeaban escalar la cumbre más alta.

6 ADJUST [transitive] B2

to adjust something according to a particular standard or system

ajustar, adaptar

  • scale sth up/down

Collocations scale back production · scale up operations

  • The company decided to scale down its operations.

    La empresa decidió reducir sus operaciones.

7 MEASURE [transitive] B1

to measure something using a particular system or device

medir, pesar

  • scale sth

Collocations scale the weight of an object · scale the temperature

  • She scaled the weight of each package.

    Ella pesó cada paquete.

8 FISH [transitive] B1

to remove scales from a fish before cooking it

escamitar, quitar las escamas

  • scale sth

Collocations scale the fish · scale a salmon

  • He scaled the fish before frying it.

    Él escamitó el pescado antes de freírlo.

Phrasal verbs

scale back REDUCE B2

reducir, disminuir

  • They decided to scale back their spending.

    Decidieron reducir sus gastos.

scale up INCREASE B2

aumentar, ampliar

  • The company plans to scale up its production.

    La empresa planea aumentar su producción.

scale down DECREASE B2

reducir, disminuir

  • They had to scale down their operations.

    Tuvieron que reducir sus operaciones.

scale out REMOVE B2

quitar, eliminar

  • The old paint was scaled out.

    La pintura vieja fue eliminada.

scale up to REACH A LEVEL B2

llegar a un nivel, aumentar hasta

  • The project scaled up to include more participants.

    El proyecto se amplió para incluir más participantes.

Idioms

on a large scale B1

a gran escala

  • The project was carried out on a large scale.

    El proyecto se llevó a cabo a gran escala.

on a small scale B1

a pequeña escala

  • The business operates on a small scale.

    El negocio opera a pequeña escala.

scale the heights C1

alcanzar la cima, lograr el éxito

  • He scaled the heights of success in his career.

    Él alcanzó la cima del éxito en su carrera.