score
skaw
Score (noun) means the total number of points, goals, or runs earned in a game or contest. Example: “Our team's score was still level at half time.”
noun
1
The total number of points, goals, or runs earned in a game or contest.
"Our team's score was still level at half time."
"The final score was 3 to 1 in favour of the home team."
"She checked her test score as soon as the results were posted."
2
The written music for all the parts of a composition, or the music composed for a film or play.
"The composer spent months writing the score for the orchestra."
"She studied the score carefully before conducting the first rehearsal."
"The film's score was praised as much as its screenplay."
3
Old-fashioned or literary: a group of twenty.
"He lived to see three score years and ten."
"A score of villagers gathered at the gate to welcome us."
"Lincoln's address begins, "Four score and seven years ago.""
verb
1
To earn points, goals, or marks in a game or test.
"Our striker scored twice before the interval."
"He scored the winning goal in the final minute."
"She scored 95% on the exam."
2
Informal: to successfully obtain something desired, including illegal drugs.
"I managed to score a free ticket from a friend."
"Can you score us some snacks before the film starts?"
"They managed to score front-row tickets to the concert."
How to use score
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishMost often the number of points in a game or test, but also the sheet music for a film/show, or slang for successfully getting hold of something.
Common pairings
keep score
a high score
settle a score
score a goal
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Word forms
- Plural
- scores
- Third person singular
- scores
- Past tense
- scored
- Archaic forms
- scorest, scoredst, scoreth
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
Our team's _____ was still level at half time.
Etymology
From Old English scoru, borrowed from Old Norse skor, "a notch or tally," related to the idea of cutting a mark for every twenty animals passing through a gate — hence the old meaning "twenty."
Related words
Rhymes for score
See all rhymes for score →Frequently asked questions
What does “score” mean?
The word “score” means the total number of points, goals, or runs earned in a game or contest. In plain terms, most often the number of points in a game or test, but also the sheet music for a film/show, or slang for successfully getting hold of something.
How do you pronounce “score”?
“Score” is pronounced skaw (/skoɹ/ in IPA).
How do you use “score” in a sentence?
Here is “score” used in a sentence: “The final score was 3 to 1 in favour of the home team.”
What is another word for “score”?
Words with a similar meaning to “score” include earn and obtain.
What part of speech is “score”?
Depending on how it is used, “score” can be a noun and a verb.
Where does the word “score” come from?
The word “score” comes from Old English. From Old English scoru, borrowed from Old Norse skor, "a notch or tally," related to the idea of cutting a mark for every twenty animals passing through a gate — hence the old meaning "twenty.".
Is “score” a common word?
“Score” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.
How many meanings does “score” have?
“Score” has 5 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: the total number of points, goals, or runs earned in a game or contest.
What is the difference between a score and a result?
A score is the number of points, goals, or runs earned, such as 3–1. A result is the outcome it produces — who won, lost, or drew. The score gives the exact figures; the result is the conclusion drawn from them. A 3–1 score, for instance, gives one team the winning result.
Does score mean twenty?
Yes, in an older use a score means twenty. It survives in phrases like 'three score and ten' for seventy, and famously in Abraham Lincoln's 'four score and seven years ago,' meaning eighty-seven. This counting sense is now old-fashioned, but the number meaning of score still appears in formal or literary language.
What are the other meanings of score?
Beyond points in a game, score can mean the written music for a song, film, or play — a musical score. As a verb it can mean to make a mark or cut, as in scoring a line in card. It also appears in 'settle a score,' meaning to get even.
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