Skip to the word

Added 9 October 2026

scope

/skəʊp/ noun

Latin root: scopus Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about scope at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

The breadth, depth or reach of a subject; the extent of applicability or relevance; a domain, purview or remit.
Environmental impacts lie outside the scope of this report.
A device used in aiming a projectile, through which the person aiming looks at the intended target.
Potential range of action; degree of freedom; opportunity.
My job doesn't give me much scope for personal development.

verb

To perform a cursory investigation of; scope out.
To 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.
To define the scope of something.

noun

A bundle, as of twigs.

Origin

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 Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word