# settle a score

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/settle-a-score
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To even the score.

## Examples

- He wants to settle a score with his old rival.
- After years of being treated unfairly, she finally returned to the company to settle a score with her former boss.
- The protagonist returned to his hometown not for nostalgia, but with a cold determination to settle a score that had haunted his family for generations.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.