What does "score" mean?

1. (points in a game) the number of points or goals a person or team has in a game. 2. (test result) the grade or number you get on a test or exam. 3. (music for a film) the music written for a movie or a play. 4. (written music) a printed piece of music that shows all the parts for the instruments. 5. (the number twenty) a set of twenty things. 6. (to gain points) to get a goal or a point in a game or a test. 7. (to get something) to get something you want, often something that is hard to find. 8. (to cut a line) to make a shallow cut or line on a surface.

score — meaning, definition & examples

Word

01points in a game

A2 · Elementary Countable noun Sports

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

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

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

“Despite dominating possession for most of the second half, the home team failed to improve the score before the final whistle.”

Synonyms

tally points result

02test result

A2 · Elementary Countable noun

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

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

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

“The university requires a minimum score of seven on the language proficiency exam for all international applicants.”

Synonyms

grade mark result

03music for a film

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun Music

n. the music written for a movie or a play.

n. the musical composition accompanying a motion picture or theatrical production.

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

“The composer won an award for the original score, which blended traditional orchestral arrangements with modern electronic textures.”

Synonyms

soundtrack composition

04written music

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Music Formal

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

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

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

“Studying the full orchestral score allowed the student to understand how the woodwind section interacted with the lower strings.”

Synonyms

sheet musicnotation

05the number twenty

C1 · Advanced Countable noun Literary · Archaic

n. a set of twenty things.

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

“The old man lived for four score years.”

“The famous speech begins with 'Four score and seven years ago', referring to a period of eighty-seven years.”

Synonyms

twenty

06to gain points

A2 · Elementary Sports

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

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

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

“The striker managed to score despite being closely marked by two defenders throughout the entire match.”

Synonyms

achieve gain win

07to get something

B2 · Upper Intermediate Informal

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

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

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

“After searching several vintage shops, she finally managed to score a rare first-edition copy of the novel.”

Synonyms

obtain acquire get

Antonyms

lose

08to cut a line

B2 · Upper Intermediate Technical

v. to make a shallow cut or line on a surface.

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

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

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

Synonyms

notch scratch groove

Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “score” in context.

01. composite score 02. factor score 03. initial score 04. low score 05. maximum score 06. mean score 07. score outweigh 08. yield score

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.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

NOUN

score(A2)

ADJECTIVE

game number