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score

n. · v.
US //ˈskɔɹ// UK //skˈɔː// score
  1. 1 points in a game (n.)
    A2 Elementary Sport

    the number of points or goals a person or team has in a game.

    the total number of points, goals, or runs earned by a participant or team in a competitive match.

    Example

    The final score of the football match was three to one.

    Example

    Despite dominating possession for most of the second half, the home team failed to improve the score before the final whistle.
  2. 2 test result (n.)
    A2 Elementary

    the grade or number you get on a test or exam.

    the evaluation of a performance on an examination, typically expressed as a numerical value or letter grade.

    Example

    She was very happy with her high score on the math test.

    Example

    The university requires a minimum score of seven on the language proficiency exam for all international applicants.
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  1. 3 music for a film (n.)
    B1 Intermediate Music

    the music written for a movie or a play.

    the musical composition accompanying a motion picture or theatrical production.

    Example

    The movie's score was so beautiful that I bought the album.

    Example

    The composer won an award for the original score, which blended traditional orchestral arrangements with modern electronic textures.
  2. 4 written music (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Formal Music

    a printed piece of music that shows all the parts for the instruments.

    the written or printed form of a musical composition showing all the vocal and instrumental parts on separate staves.

    Example

    The conductor looked at the score before the orchestra started playing.

    Example

    Studying the full orchestral score allowed the student to understand how the woodwind section interacted with the lower strings.
  3. 5 the number twenty (n.)
    C1 Advanced Literary Archaic

    a set of twenty things.

    a group or set of twenty; often used in historical or literary contexts.

    Example

    The old man lived for four score years.

    Example

    The famous speech begins with 'Four score and seven years ago', referring to a period of eighty-seven years.
  4. 6 to gain points (v.)
    A2 Elementary Sport

    to get a goal or a point in a game or a test.

    to gain or record a point, goal, or run in a competitive context.

    Example

    He managed to score a goal in the last minute of the game.

    Example

    The striker managed to score despite being closely marked by two defenders throughout the entire match.
  5. 7 to get something (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Informal

    to get something you want, often something that is hard to find.

    to succeed in obtaining something desired or needed, often through effort or luck.

    Example

    I managed to score two tickets to the sold-out concert.

    Example

    After searching several vintage shops, she finally managed to score a rare first-edition copy of the novel.
  6. 8 to cut a line (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Technical

    to make a shallow cut or line on a surface.

    to make a notch, cut, or line on a surface, often as a guide for folding or cutting.

    Example

    Score the paper with a knife before you try to fold it.

    Example

    The chef instructed the apprentice to score the skin of the duck breast to help the fat render during cooking.
Origin

From Middle English score, skore, schore, from Old English scoru (“notch; tally; score”), from Old Norse skor, from Proto-Germanic skurō (“incision; tear; rift”), which is related to skeraną (“to cut”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“cut”). Cognate with Icelandic skora, Swedish skåra, Danish skår. Related to shear. For the sense “twenty”: The mark on a tally made by drovers for every twenty beasts passing through a tollgate.

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