scale up

To change a business or process so it can produce or handle more.

• We need to scale up production.
• The company scaled up its operations as demand grew.
• Can this process scale up to serve a million users?

How to use it: scale something up (The factory plans to scale its production up.); scale up to something (We need to scale up to ten thousand orders a day.)

Similar words: expand, increase, grow

Opposites: reduce

Common phrases: scale up production, scale up operations

To make something larger while keeping the same relative sizes of its parts.

• Scale up the image, please.
• She scaled up the diagram to fit the poster.
• Can we scale this model up without changing its proportions?

How to use it: scale something up by something (Scale the drawing up by twenty percent.); scale something up to something (We scaled the model up to twice its original size.)

Similar words: enlarge, magnify

Opposites: reduce

Common phrases: scale up an image, scale up a model

To climb toward the top of a wall, cliff, or other steep surface.

• They scaled up the wall.
• The climbers scaled up the cliff before sunset.
• Could anyone scale up that icy rock face?

How to use it: scale up something (They scaled up the steep cliff with ropes.)

Similar words: climb up, ascend

Opposites: descend

Common phrases: scale up a wall, scale up a cliff