score

American  

[skawr, skohr] / skɔr, skoʊr /

noun

• scores,
  plural
• score
  plural

1. the record of points or strokes made by the competitors in a game or match.

2. the total points or strokes made by one side, individual, play, game, etc.

3. an act or instance of making or earning a point or points.

4. Education, Psychology. the performance of an individual or sometimes of a group on an examination or test, expressed by a number, letter, or other symbol.

5. a notch, scratch, or incision; a stroke or line.

6. a notch or mark for keeping an account or record.

7. a reckoning or account so kept; tally.

8. any account showing indebtedness.

9. an amount recorded as due.

10. a line drawn as a boundary, the starting point of a race, a goal line, etc.

11. a group or set of 20.

    about a score of years ago.

12. scores, a great many.

    Scores of people were at the dance.

13. a reason, ground, or cause.

    to complain on the score of low pay.

14. Informal.

    1. the basic facts, point of progress, etc., regarding a situation.

       What's the score on Saturday's picnic?

    2. a successful move, remark, etc.

15. Music.

    1. a written or printed piece of music with all the vocal and instrumental parts arranged on staves, one under the other.

    2. the music itself.

    3. the music played as background to or part of a movie, play, or television presentation.

16. Slang.

    1. a success in finding a willing sexual partner; sexual conquest.

    2. a purchase or acquisition of illicit drugs, as heroin or cocaine.

    3. a single payoff obtained through graft by a police officer, especially from a narcotics violator.

    4. a successful robbery; theft.

    5. any success, triumph, happy acquisition, gift, or win.

    6. the victim of a robbery or swindle.

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verb (used with object)

• scores,
  present (3rd person singular)
• scored,
  past participle,  past
• scoring
  present participle

1. to gain for addition to one's score in a game or match.

2. to make a score of.

   He scored 98 on the test.

3. to have as a specified value in points.

   Four aces score 100.

4. Education, Psychology. to evaluate the responses a person has made on (a test or an examination).

5. Music.

   1. to orchestrate.

   2. to write out in score.

   3. to compose the music for (a movie, play, television show, etc.)

6. Cooking. to cut ridges or lines into (meat, fish, etc.) with shallow slashes, usually in a diamond pattern, before cooking.

7. to make notches, cuts, marks, or lines in or on.

8. to record or keep a record of (points, items, etc.), by or as if by notches, marks, etc.; tally; reckon (often followed byup ).

9. to write down as a debt.

10. to record as a debtor.

11. to gain, achieve, or win.

    The play scored a great success.

12. Slang.

    1. to obtain (a drug) illicitly.

    2. to steal.

    3. to acquire; be given.

13. to berate or censure.

    The newspapers scored the mayor severely for the announcement.

14. to crease (paper or cardboard) so that it can be folded easily and without damage.

verb (used without object)

• scores,
  present (3rd person singular)
• scored,
  past participle,  past
• scoring
  present participle

1. to make a point or points in a game or contest.

2. to keep score, as of a game.

3. to achieve an advantage or a success.

   The new product scored with the public.

4. to make notches, cuts, lines, etc.

5. to run up a score or debt.

6. Slang.

   1. to succeed in finding a willing sexual partner; have sexual intercourse.

   2. to purchase or obtain drugs illicitly.

   3. to elicit and accept a bribe.

idioms

1. pay off / settle a score, to avenge a wrong; retaliate.

   In the Old West they paid off a score with bullets.

score British  

/ skɔː /

noun

1. an evaluative, usually numerical, record of a competitive game or match

2. the total number of points made by a side or individual in a game or match

3. the act of scoring, esp a point or points

4. informal the actual situation; the true facts

   to know the score

5. the result of a test or exam

6. a group or set of twenty

   three score years and ten

7. a great number; lots

   I have scores of things to do

8. music

   1. the written or printed form of a composition in which the instrumental or vocal parts appear on separate staves vertically arranged on large pages ( full score ) or in a condensed version, usually for piano ( short score ) or voices and piano ( vocal score )

   2. the incidental music for a film or play

   3. the songs, music, etc, for a stage or film musical

9. a mark or notch, esp one made in keeping a tally

10. an account of amounts due

11. an amount recorded as due

12. a reason or account

    the book was rejected on the score of length

13. a grievance

14. 1. a line marking a division or boundary

    2. ( as modifier )

       score line

15. informal the victim of a theft or swindle

16. dancing notation indicating a dancer's moves

17. informal excessive; unfair

18. 1. to avenge a wrong

    2. to repay a debt

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verb

1. to gain (a point or points) in a game or contest

2. (tr) to make a total score of

   to score twelve

3. to keep a record of the score (of)

4. (tr) to be worth (a certain amount) in a game

5. (tr) to evaluate (a test or exam) numerically; mark

6. (tr) to record by making notches in

7. to make (cuts, lines, etc) in or on

8. slang (intr) to obtain something desired, esp to purchase an illegal drug

9. slang (intr) (of a man) to be successful in seducing a person

10. (tr)

    1. to set or arrange (a piece of music) for specific instruments or voices

    2. to write the music for (a film, play, etc)

11. to achieve (success or an advantage)

    your idea really scored with the boss

12. (tr) to criticize harshly; berate

13. to accumulate or keep a record of (a debt)

score More Idioms  

1. see box score; know the score; pay off (an old score); settle a score.

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Usage

What is a basic definition of score? A score is the tally of points that have been earned by competitors in a game. To score is to add points to this tally during a game. Score also refers to a set of 20 items. Score has many other senses, both as a noun and a verb. The score of a game or competition is the record of how many points have been earned during the game. A game in which no points are gained at all is referred to as scoreless. Real-life examples: France won the final match of the 2018 FIFA World Cup against Croatia with a score of 4-2. In 2020, the final score of Super Bowl LIV between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers was 31-20. Used in a sentence: I volunteered to keep track of the score of the children’s baseball game. Related to this sense, score means to gain points or otherwise add to a person’s or team’s score during a game. A player that gains points is called a scorer. The person who keeps track of the score is also called a scorer, or more frequently a scorekeeper. A player, team, or maneuver that doesn’t gain any points is referred to as nonscoring. Real-life examples: Soccer players score goals. Basketball players score baskets. Football players score touchdowns. Used in a sentence: She scored 50 points by hitting the bullseye. Score is also a group or set of 20 items. Real-life examples: Abraham Lincoln famously said that America was founded “four score and seven years ago” during his Gettysburg Address in 1863. Lincoln was referring to the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, which occurred 87 (four score plus seven) years prior to Lincoln’s speech. Used in a sentence: He bought a score of donuts from the bakery.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• scorer
  noun
• rescore
  verb
• outscore
  verb (used with object)
• nonscoring
  adjective
• scoreless
  adjective
• unscored
  adjective
• unscoring
  adjective
• well-scored
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• score
  plural
• scores
  plural

Participles

• scoring
  present
• scored
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• score
  simple
• scores
  simple
• have scored
  perfect
• has scored
  perfect
• am scoring
  progressive
• are scoring
  progressive
• is scoring
  progressive
• have been scoring
  perfect progressive
• has been scoring
  perfect progressive

Past

• scored
  simple
• had scored
  perfect
• was scoring
  progressive
• were scoring
  progressive
• had been scoring
  perfect progressive

Future

• will score
  simple
• will have scored
  perfect
• will be scoring
  progressive
• will have been scoring
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of score

First recorded before 1100; Middle English; late Old English noun scora, score (plural; unattested singular scoru ) “group of twenty” (apparently originally “notch”), from Old Norse skor “notch”; Middle English verb scoren “to incise, mark with lines, tally debts,” from Old Norse skora “to notch, count by tallies”; later verb senses derivative of the noun; akin to shear

Explanation

When you're playing a game, your score is the number of points you have. If the score of a basketball game is 34 to 34, it means both teams have 34 points — the score is tied. To score in a game is to achieve points or goals. In school, you get a score, or a grade, on your tests and papers. Another kind of score is the written part of a musical composition. And when someone asks, "What's the score?" they might also mean "What's going on?" The Gettysburg Address famously begins, "Four score and seven years ago..." In this case, a score is "twenty," from the Old English scoru, also "twenty."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

score scores scored scoring

Jon Favreau, who directed the live-action “Lion King,” serves as executive producer alongside the BBC natural-history veteran Mike Gunto; the score by Hans Zimmer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

He would go on to score 22 Premier League goals and be named young player of the season... for Chelsea, having joined them for £42.5m.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

However, I noticed that they gave the final score every five minutes on the lower screen so I had to close my eyes each time.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026

These findings were combined into a single score used to assess the amount of Alzheimer's related pathology in the brain.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026

I was thinking, “What can I do? How can I score a goal?”

From "Facing the Lion" by Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton and Herman Viola

To help address that gap, the UT Health San Antonio team investigated the relationship between cardiovascular health in midlife, measured through LS7 scores, and later cognitive decline among Mexican American and non-Hispanic white older adults.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026

We’re all sitting at home sipping adaptogenic mushroom tonics, journaling our feelings and politely declining invitations to any event after 7 p.m. because we’d rather optimize our sleep scores than take a tequila shot.

From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026

Although under a somewhat faded exterior, Pacoima Middle School has flashy technology and other attributes, including expanded academic offerings, rising test scores, a robotics lab, a room of new fitness equipment and added garden space.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

Flintoff has made scores of 33 not out, 41 not out, 34 and 61 not out around dismissals for nought and one in his six previous matches.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

In addition to “H of G,” “ID,” “WL,” and “O for the P,” Farmer used scores of other abbreviations and slang in his and emails.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

It was on line and probably would have nailed the hustling Gantner but John cut it off, then threw wildly past catcher Don Slaught and into the Brewers’ dugout as Gantner scored.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

The Dodgers scored their only run on an Ohtani triple to right that scored Call from first in the third inning.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

Ferran Torres, who scored the winning goal for Spain at the World Cup, has joined European champions Paris St-Germain from Barcelona.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

The forward scored 21 goals in 49 appearances in all competitions, providing three assists, and helped Barcelona win the La Liga title.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

Then the Knights scored four more in the next inning, three on a bases-loaded single and two-base throwing error.

From "A High Five for Glenn Burke" by Phil Bildner

Simpson did not start, but he played with confidence and poise while leading three scoring drives, including two for touchdowns in the second half.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026

Earlier Bangladesh added 75 to their overnight score of 351-6, with Miraz scoring 65 and Josh Hazlewood claiming 6-89, including his 300th Test wicket.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

He remains incredibly consistent, scoring on average 16 goals in his past four seasons at the club and he's also potentially a penalty taker now Youri Tielemans has gone to Manchester United.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

Can Haji Wright translate his Championship scoring form to the Premier League?

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

The previous week, in a 35-14 win over Amarillo High, he had had the best performance of his life, gaining 141 yards in ten carries and scoring three touchdowns.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger

Related Words

• account
• amount
• average
• count
• grade
• mark
• number
• rate
• record
• result
• tally