Synonyms

know the score

Idioms

Also, know what's what. Understand what is happening; be familiar with the real story or the full situation. For example, It will take the new legislators some time to know the score, or When it comes to teaching youngsters to read, Nell knows what's what. The first expression, dating from about 1930, alludes to score as a tally of points in a game. The variant dates from about 1400.

Example Sentences

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know the score

“We didn’t know the score or what was going on in the other matches,” Martin said.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 2, 2026

Montoya can at least claim to know the score, since he was a Spanish reality TV veteran before romantic distress transformed him into a heartsick Sonic the Hedgehog.

From Salon ● Mar. 13, 2025

But West Ham know the score now on these European nights and, despite a wobble after conceding they dusted themselves down, made changes and dragged their way to victory.

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2023

If you don’t want to know the score, you’re out of luck: Liverpool won 2-0.

From The Guardian ● Aug. 21, 2021

Her teeth are like sparkling and her eyes are like flashing and my heart is beating like crazy but I know the score.

From "145th Street: Short Stories" by Walter Dean Myers

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

know the score

Example Sentences

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