scope

plural scopes

1. countableuncountableThe breadth, depth or reach of a subject; the extent of applicability or relevance; a domain, purview or remit.

   Such transactions fall within the scope of VAT.

   1 more example

   Environmental impacts lie outside the scope of this report.

   Synonyms: compass, ambit

2. countableuncountableengineeringA device used in aiming a projectile, through which the person aiming looks at the intended target.

   1 more example

   Coastie yanked her eye away from the night scope when those big lights were caught by it and amplified in intensity. Her entire view had gone white in an instant. “I can't see!” Temporarily blinded, she let touch become her primary sense, dropped the M40, and grabbed her alternate weapon, an M16 with an ACOG day scope that was already registered for the same distance.

   2014, Sgt. Jack Coughlin, Donald A. Davis, On Scope: A Sniper Novel, St. Martin's Press, →ISBN

   Synonyms: telescopic sight

3. countableuncountablePotential range of action; degree of freedom; opportunity.

   My job doesn't give me much scope for personal development.

   3 more examples

   It is also true that the vast majority of teachers are highly skilled and experienced professionals who are already doing an excellent job in the classroom, thus leaving relatively little scope for improvement.

   2001, Mike Hughes, Andy Vass, Strategies for Closing the Learning Gap, page 19

   She had in fact put in a resume at another firm that gave their graphics team much more scope.

   2014, Mary Kitt-Neel, Lie Down in Princess Position

   VISITORS to Balijatra will get a scope to learn about the history and richness of classical Odia language and writers who contributed towards enriching it.

   2025 October 10, “Balijatra to celebrate classical Odia language, its authors in 2025”, in The New Indian Express

4. countableuncountablecomputingThe region of program source code in which a given identifier is meaningful, or a given object can be accessed.

   1 more example

   A variable's scope is the region of a program within which the variable can be referred to by its simple name. Secondarily, scope also determines when the system creates and destroys memory for the variable. Scope is distinct from visibility, which applies only to member variables and determines whether the variable can be used from outside of the class within which it is declared.

   2001, Mary Campione, Kathy Walrath, Alison Huml, The Java Tutorial: A Short Course on the Basics, Addison-Wesley Professional, →ISBN, page 72

5. countableuncountablehuman sciencesThe shortest sub-wff of which a given instance of a logical connective is a part.
6. countableuncountablehuman sciencesThe region of an utterance to which some modifying element applies.

   the scope of an adverb

7. abbreviationcountableellipsisuncountableEllipsis of any word ending in -scope, such as endoscope, periscope, telescope, microscope, oscilloscope, and so on.
8. colloquialcountableuncountablemedicineAny medical procedure that ends in the suffix -scopy, such as endoscopy, colonoscopy, bronchoscopy, etc.

present singular third person scopes · participle present scoping · participle past scoped · past scoped

1. informaltransitiveTo perform a cursory investigation of; scope out.

   “Let's scope the scene.” The gang advanced, searching for humanity.

   2012, Khalid Patel, Hollow Shotguns

   1 more example

   We don't know, so let's scope the action before having another shoot out.

   2004, Don Harris, The Drunk

2. colloquialmedicineTo perform any medical procedure that ends in the suffix -scopy, such as endoscopy, colonoscopy, bronchoscopy, etc.

   The surgeon will scope the football player's knee to repair damage to a ligament.

3. To define the scope of something.

   Before scoping the investigation and developing a work plan, it is necessary to establish reasonable goals and objectives.

   2003, An Introduction to Characterizing Sites Contaminated with DNAPLs, page 10

   1 more example

   The purpose of witness interviews is multi-faceted but generally includes scoping the investigation, understanding the facts and issues at play, and assessing the accountability of individuals and possible defences for the company and[…]

   2018 January 19, Judith Seddon, Practitioner's Guide to Global Investigations, Law Business Research Ltd., →ISBN

4. computingTo limit (an object or variable) to a certain region of program source code.

   If we locally scope the user's login name, it won't be accessible from outside this function.

5. informalTo examine under a microscope.

   The entomologist explained that he could not tell what species of springtail we were looking at without scoping it.

6. informalbiologyTo observe a bird using a spotting scope.

   `Maybe there was another darker bird and it had flown away before we could scope it?' `Yes there must have been,' came the grim-faced reply.

   2005, Sean Dooley, The Big Twitch, Sydney: Allen and Unwin, page 199

plural scopes

1. obsoleteA bundle, as of twigs.