From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
scope
n 1: an area in which something acts or operates or has power or
control: "the range of a supersonic jet"; "a piano has a
greater range than the human voice"; "the ambit of
municipal legislation"; "within the compass of this
article"; "within the scope of an investigation"; "outside
the reach of the law"; "in the political orbit of a world
power" [syn: scope, range, reach, orbit, compass,
ambit]
2: the state of the environment in which a situation exists;
"you can't do that in a university setting" [syn: setting,
background, scope]
3: a magnifier of images of distant objects [syn: telescope,
scope]
4: electronic equipment that provides visual images of varying
electrical quantities [syn: oscilloscope, scope,
cathode-ray oscilloscope, CRO]