score

noun

• 1the number of points, goals, runs, etc., achieved in a game by a team or an individual:the final score was 25-16 in favor of Washington
• informal an act of gaining a point, goal, or run in a game.
• a rating or grade, such as a mark achieved in a test:an IQ score of 161
• (the score) informal the state of affairs; the real facts about the present situation:“Hey, what’s the score here, what’s goin' on?”
• informal an act of buying illegal drugs.
• informal the proceeds of a crime.

• 2 (plural same) a group or set of twenty or about twenty:a score of men lost their lives in the battle Doyle’s success brought imitators by the score
• (scores of) a large amount or number of something:he sent scores of enthusiastic letters to friends

• 3a written representation of a musical composition showing all the vocal and instrumental parts arranged one below the other.
• the music composed for a movie or play.

• 4a notch or line cut or scratched into a surface.
• historical a running account kept by marks against a customer’s name, typically in a tavern.

verb

• 1gain (a point, goal, run, etc.) in a competitive game:Penn State scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter [no object]:Martinez scored on Anderson’s sacrifice fly
• decide on the score to be awarded to (a competitor):the judge must score each dog against this standard
• gain (a number of points) for a competitor; be worth:each correct answer scores ten points
• decide on the scores to be awarded in (a game or competition).
• [no object] record the score during a game; act as scorer.
• Baseball cause (a teammate) to score:McNab singled, scoring Reynolds and Diaz
• informal secure (a success or an advantage):the band scored a hit single
• [no object] informal be successful: [with complement]:his new movie scored big
• informal buy or acquire (something, typically illegal drugs):Sally had scored some acid
• [no object] informal succeed in attracting a sexual partner, typically for a casual encounter.

• 2orchestrate or arrange (a piece of music), typically for a specified instrument or instruments:the Quartet Suite was scored for flute, violin, viola da gamba, and continuo
• compose the music for (a movie or play).

• 3cut or scratch a notch or line on (a surface):score the card until you cut through
• historical record (a total owed) by making marks against a customer’s name:a slate on which the old man scored up vast accounts
• Medicine & Biology examine (experimentally treated cells, bacterial colonies, etc.), making a record of the number showing a particular character.