score

1 of 2

verb

scored; scoring

transitive verb

1

a

: to keep a record or account of by or as if by notches on a tally : record

b

: to enter in a record

c

: to mark with significant lines or notches (as in keeping account)

2

: to mark with lines, grooves, scratches, or notches

3

: berate, scold

also : denounce

4

a(1)

: to make (a score) in a game or contest

scored a touchdown

scored three points

(2)

: to enable (a base runner) to make a score

(3)

: to have as a value in a game or contest : count

a touchdown scores six points

b(1)

: achieve, attain

scored a dazzling success

(2)

: acquire

… help a traveler score local drugs …

—Poitor Koper

(3)

: win sense 1

scored free tickets over the radio

5

: to determine the merit of : grade

6

a

: to write or arrange (music) for a specific performance medium

b

: to make an orchestration of

c

: to compose a score for (a movie)

intransitive verb

1

: to keep score in a game or contest

2

: to make a score in a game or contest

3

a

: to gain or have the advantage

b

: to be successful: such as

(1)

: to succeed in having sexual intercourse

(2)

: to manage to obtain illicit drugs

c

: rate entry 2

scorer noun

see also:

score points

scorer

2 of 2

noun

scor·​er

ˈshōrə(r), 

ˈskȯr-

plural -s

: one that scores: such as

a

: a logger who marks trees to be felled

b

: an instrument (as a creasing machine or a nib on a woodworking bit) used for scoring

c

: a worker who marks paper for creasing or feeds a creasing machine

d(1)

: scorekeeper

(2)

: one that makes a score (as in a game or contest)

Synonyms of score

Verb

• file
• scratch
• seam
• scribe

Examples of score in a Sentence

Verb

She scored twice in the game.

Each correct answer scores two points.

In American football, a touchdown scores six points.

Who's going to score the game?

Judges will score the performances based on their artistic and technical features.

Which judges are scoring tonight?

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Gutierrez, meanwhile, went 3-for-3 and scored twice for the Mustangs, who have won three playoff games by a 41-2 count. —Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 4 June 2026

The Red Sox came strong out of the gate, taking a quick 1-0 lead in the first inning after Jarren Duran hit a leadoff single, advanced on a groundout and scored on an RBI single by Abreu. —Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 4 June 2026

San Francisco scored six times in the seventh inning, opening a 12-3 lead. —CBS News, 4 June 2026

In Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday, the New York Knicks’ Jalen Brunson was that player, scoring 13 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Knicks to a 105-95 victory over the San Antonio Spurs and a 1-0 series lead. —Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 4 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from scoren to score + -er

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing score

• Apgar score
• box score
• by the score
• even the score
• final score
• hog score
• keep score
• know the score
• line score
• on that/this score
• perfect score
• raw score
• score off
• score points
• score to settle
• settle a/the score
• standard score
• z-score

Rhymes for score

• boar
• boer
• bore
• chore
• cor
• core
• corps
• crore
• door
• drawer
• floor
• flor

Kids Definition

score

1 of 2 noun

ˈskō(ə)r 

ˈskȯ(ə)r

plural scores

1

or plural score

a

: twenty

b

: a group of 20 things

—often used in combination with a cardinal number

fivescore

2

: a line made with or as if with a sharp instrument

3

: a duty or injury kept in mind for later action

had some old scores to settle

4

: reason entry 1 sense 1b, ground

you have nothing to worry about on that score

5

: the complete written music showing all of the individual parts of a large piece (as a symphony)

6

a

: a number expressing accomplishment (as in a game or a test) or worth (as of a product)

had a score of 80 out of a possible 100

b

: a record of points made by competing teams or players

the final score was 4–3

c

: an act (as a goal, run, or touchdown) that gains points in any of various games or contests

7

: the facts of a situation

we won't know what the score is until the laboratory results are in

scoreless

-ləs

adjective

score

2 of 2 verb

scored; scoring

1

a

: to set down in an account : record

b

: to keep score in a game or contest

2

: to mark with lines, grooves, scratches, or notches

3

: berate, scold

4

a

: to make or cause to make a score in or as if in a game : tally

score a run

b

: achieve sense 2, win

scored a big success

5

: grade entry 1 sense 3, mark

6

: to arrange (a musical composition) for performance

scorer noun