scope it out

Meanings

1. 1phrasephrasal verbinformal

   to examine or look at something carefully, especially to get information before deciding what to do

   Grammar: Takes an object: scope it out, scope out the place. The object can go between scope and out, or after out.

   Patterns

   • scope something out
   • scope out something
   • scope it out

   Let's scope out the new coffee shop before we decide to meet there.

   The real estate agent scoped out the neighborhood to see if it was safe.

   I scoped it out online and the reviews were excellent.

2. 2phrasephrasal verbinformal

   to secretly watch or check on someone or something, often to see what they are doing

   Grammar: Often used with a person or place as the object: scope out the competition, scope him out.

   Patterns

   • scope out someone
   • scope someone out

   The reporter scoped out the event to see who was there.

   He scoped out the competition before the race.

   They scoped out the area for any security cameras.

Common combinations

scope out the place

We scoped out the place before booking the party.

scope out the competition

The team scoped out the competition at the trade show.

scope it out first

Don't buy anything yet; scope it out first.

Synonyms and how they differ

check out

More general and neutral; can mean to look at something for interest, not necessarily to gather information.

survey

More formal and thorough; often used for official or systematic examination.

inspect

More formal and careful; often used for checking quality or safety.

Commonly confused: scope it out or scope?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “scope it out”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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