scope out
To examine; to scout; to investigate.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Let's scope out the new store before it gets crowded.”
“I need to scope out the menu before we choose a table.”
“She likes to scope out the competition before the race begins.”
“I went to the venue early to scope out the best seats for the concert.”
“Before we sign the lease, we should scope out the neighborhood at night to see if it is quiet.”
“The hikers spent the morning trying to scope out a safe path across the rocky river.”
“Our manager wants us to scope out the new software to see if it helps our team work faster.”
“The detectives decided to scope out the warehouse under the cover of darkness to gather evidence before the raid.”
disputed origin
The expression is quite possibly derived from the military practice of reconnoitring a position from a distance through a scope, such as a periscope, binoculars, or a field telescope. This etymology remains unconfirmed, suggesting the term emerged as a colloquial shorthand for the act of surveying a landscape before committing to an engagement.
Last updated August 10, 2026