score

"Score" is a wonderfully versatile word in English — it works as a noun, a verb, and even has a historical meaning as a number. It has many senses, but here are the most common and useful ones you'll encounter every day.

1nounpoints in a game or test

A score is the number of points someone earns in a game, sport, or test. Think of it as the number that shows how well you did. When you watch a football match, the score tells you how many goals each team has.

sports, education, everyday language · Modern, widely used

The final score of the match was 3–1.

She got a perfect score of 100 on her math test.

What's the score? Who's winning?

2verbto earn points

When you score, you successfully earn a point or goal in a game or competition. It's the action of getting that point on the board.

sports, education, everyday language · Modern, widely used

He scored two goals in the second half.

She scored the highest mark in the class.

Our team needs to score before the game ends.

3nounthe music for a film or show

A score is the complete set of music written for a film, play, or TV show. When you hear background music in a movie that makes a scene feel exciting or sad, that music is called the score.

music, film, arts · Modern, widely used

The score for that film won an Oscar.

Hans Zimmer composed the score for Inception.

The emotional score made the final scene even more powerful.

4verbto cut a line into a surface

To score a surface means to make a shallow cut or line on it, usually to help it fold, break, or cook more evenly. Imagine a chef cutting lines into a piece of meat before cooking — that's scoring.

cooking, crafts, everyday language · Modern, widely used

Score the dough lightly before baking so it breaks apart easily.

She scored the cardboard along the fold line.

The recipe says to score the fish skin before frying.

5nountwenty (a group of 20)

In older English, 'a score' meant exactly twenty of something. You still see this in famous phrases and literature. For example, 'four score' means 80 (4 × 20). It's not used much in everyday modern speech, but you'll meet it in historical texts.

historical, literary language · Formal, more common in older texts

Abraham Lincoln said 'four score and seven years ago', meaning 87 years.

A score of people attended the small ceremony.

The farmer counted three score sheep in the field.

6verbfigurativeto succeed or make a strong impression

When someone 'scores' in a figurative sense, they achieve something impressive or make a great impression. It's like saying they 'won' in a situation — not in a game, but in real life.

everyday language, informal contexts · Modern, widely used · figurative

He really scored with that presentation — the boss loved it.

The new restaurant scored big with food critics.

She scored points with her in-laws by cooking a traditional meal.