tip the scale
tip the scale verb: to change the fortunes, either positively or negatively.
Verb
tip the scale (third-person singular simple present tips the scale, present participle tipping the scale, simple past and past participle tipped the scale)
- To change the fortunes, either positively or negatively.
- The priest went on to say that God tipped the scales in favor of hope "through the resurrection of our crucified divine brother Jesus."2007, Melannie Svoboda, In Steadfast Love: Letters on the Spiritual Life, page 122
- To weigh (have a certain weight).
- was kindly called to account by the good doctor when her nine-months'-old baby tipped the scales at barely twelve pounds.1917, Mabel Thorp Boardman, Under the Red Cross flag at home and abroad, page 190
Forms of tip the scale
| third-person singular present | tips the scale |
|---|---|
| present participle | tipping the scale |
| past participle | tipped the scale |
| past | tipped the scale |
| alternative form | tip the scales |
Questions about tip the scale
- What does tip the scale mean?
- Tip the scale means to change the fortunes, either positively or negatively.
- What part of speech is tip the scale?
- Tip the scale is a verb.
- What is the past tense of tip the scale?
- The past tense of tip the scale is tipped the scale.
Words near tip the scale in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: tip the scale (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-au-tip the scale.ogg.
Cite this entry: “tip the scale.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/tip_the_scale. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.