Meanings
present singular third person evens the score · participle present evening the score · participle past evened the score · past evened the score
- idiomaticTo seek or obtain revenge against someone.
Near-synonyms: pay off old scores, pay back in someone's own coin
1 more example
When the student pulled a prank on the principal, the principal evened the score by giving the student a suspension.
Synonyms: settle the score, settle a score, pay off old scores, pay back in someone's own coin
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo seek or obtain revenge against someone.
Origin
By analogy to scorekeeping in sports.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 報仇雪恨 /报仇雪恨
- 報仇雪恨 /报仇雪恨 (bàochóu xuěhèn)seek or obtain revenge against someone
Dutch een oude rekening vereffenen
- een oude rekening vereffenenseek or obtain revenge against someone
Finnish tasata tilit
- tasata tilitseek or obtain revenge against someone
German heimzahlen
- heimzahlenseek or obtain revenge against someone
Icelandic launa lambið gráa
- launa lambið gráaseek or obtain revenge against someone
Irish an comhar a dhíol le
- an comhar a dhíol leseek or obtain revenge against someone
Polish wyrównać rachunki
- wyrównać rachunkiseek or obtain revenge against someone
Spanish ajustar cuentas
- ajustar cuentasseek or obtain revenge against someone
Swedish ge igen för gammal ost
- ge igen för gammal ostseek or obtain revenge against someone
Cite this entry
even the score. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/even%20the%20score
“even the score.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/even%20the%20score. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “even the score,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/even%20the%20score.
Source: even the score on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.