noun · verb · 19 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/skəʊp/
Canada, General-American:/skoʊp/
California, Southern:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Australian:/skəʉp/
Australian:[skɐʉp]some speakers
New-Zealand:/skɐʉp/
Caribbean, India, Scotland:/sko(ː)p/
rhymes with -əʊp
CMU ARPABET:S K OW1 P
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The breadth, depth or reach of a subject; the extent of applicability or relevance; a domain, purview or remit.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
Environmental impacts lie outside the scope of this report.
Such transactions fall within the scope of VAT.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: compass
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A device used in aiming a projectile, through which the person aiming looks at the intended target.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: engineering, government, military, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, politics, tools, war, weaponry
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: telescopic sight
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
Potential range of action; degree of freedom; opportunity.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
My job doesn't give me much scope for personal development.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
The region of program source code in which a given identifier is meaningful, or a given object can be accessed.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
the state of the environment in which a situation exists
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
you can't do that in a university setting
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: setting, background
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: environment
Narrower terms: canvas, canvass, showcase, show window
History
Etymology
From Italian scopo (“purpose”), from Latin scopus (“target”), from Ancient Greek σκοπός (skopós), from σκέπτομαι (sképtomai), from Proto-Indo-European *speḱ-. Etymologically related to skeptic and spectrum.
From Latin scopa.
Across languages
Translations
97 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
حَيِّز
(ḥayyiz)
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
Bulgarian:
обхват
(obhvat)
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
Bulgarian:
обсег
(obseg)
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
Bulgarian:
сфера
(sfera)
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
Catalan:
àmbit
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
Chinese Mandarin:
範圍 /范围
(fànwéi)
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
Czech:
rozsah
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
Dutch:
domein
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
Dutch:
bereik
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
Dutch:
reikwijdte
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
Estonian:
ulatus
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
Finnish:
ulottuvuus
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
Finnish:
ala
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
Finnish:
laajuus
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
French:
portée
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
German:
Umfang
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
German:
Bereich
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
German:
Umgebung
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
German:
Rahmen
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
German:
Feld
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
German:
Raum
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
German:
Gebiet
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
German:
Reichweite
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
German:
Tragweite
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
German:
Ausmaß
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
German:
Maß
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
German:
Kreis
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
German:
Inhalt
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
Hebrew:
היקף
(heikef)
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
Irish:
scóp
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
Italian:
ambito
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
Italian:
scopo
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
Italian:
motivo
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
Italian:
spazio
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
Italian:
portata
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
Kapampangan:
saklo
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
Kazakh:
өріс
(örıs)
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
Northern Kurdish:
berfirehî
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
Māori:
korahi
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
Māori:
kainga
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
Māori:
takiwātanga
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
Old English:
stede
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
Portuguese:
âmbito
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
Portuguese:
escopo
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
Russian:
масшта́б
(masštáb)
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
Russian:
преде́л
(predél)
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
Russian:
разма́х
(razmáx)
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
Russian:
ра́мки
(rámki)
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
Russian:
сфе́ра
(sféra)
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
Spanish:
ámbito
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
Spanish:
rubro
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
Spanish:
escopo
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
Swedish:
omfattning
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
Tagalog:
saklaw
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
Thai:
ขอบข่าย
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
Turkish:
kapsam
— breadth, depth or reach of a subject; extent of applicability or relevance
Bulgarian:
възможност
(vǎzmožnost)
— potential range of action; degree of freedom
Bulgarian:
свобода
(svoboda)
— potential range of action; degree of freedom
German:
Spielraum
— potential range of action; degree of freedom
German:
Bewegungsfreiheit
— potential range of action; degree of freedom
German:
Raum
— potential range of action; degree of freedom
German:
Handlungsspielraum
— potential range of action; degree of freedom
German:
Betätigungsfeld
— potential range of action; degree of freedom
German:
Aufgabenstellung
— potential range of action; degree of freedom
German:
Rahmen
— potential range of action; degree of freedom
German:
Kompetenzbereich
— potential range of action; degree of freedom
German:
Geschäftsbereich
— potential range of action; degree of freedom
German:
Regelungsbereich
— potential range of action; degree of freedom
German:
Bewegungsraum
— potential range of action; degree of freedom
German:
Entfaltungsmöglichkeit
— potential range of action; degree of freedom
German:
Gestaltungsraum
— potential range of action; degree of freedom
German:
Aktionsradius
— potential range of action; degree of freedom
German:
Aktionsspielraum
— potential range of action; degree of freedom
Bulgarian:
област
(oblast)
— scope of an identifier
Finnish:
näkyvyysalue
— scope of an identifier
French:
portée
— scope of an identifier
Galician:
alcance
— scope of an identifier
German:
Gültigkeitsbereich
— scope of an identifier
German:
Geltungsbereich
— scope of an identifier
German:
Anwendungsbereich
— scope of an identifier
German:
Skopus
— scope of an identifier
German:
Gegenstandsbereich
— scope of an identifier
Persian:
حوزه
(howze)
— scope of an identifier
Russian:
область видимости
(oblastʹ vidimosti)
— scope of an identifier
Spanish:
alcance
— scope of an identifier
Spanish:
ámbito
— scope of an identifier
Turkish:
kapsam
— scope of an identifier
Dutch:
scoop
— shortened form of periscope, or telescope or oscilloscope
Finnish:
skooppi
— shortened form of periscope, or telescope or oscilloscope
Bulgarian:
разучавам
(razučavam)
— To perform a cursory investigation
Bulgarian:
разуча
(razuča)
— To perform a cursory investigation
Czech:
prohlédnout
— To perform a cursory investigation
Czech:
shlédnout
— To perform a cursory investigation
Finnish:
tutkia
— To perform a cursory investigation
German:
betrachten
— To perform a cursory investigation
German:
untersuchen
— To perform a cursory investigation
German:
überblicken
— To perform a cursory investigation
