Meanings
present singular third person scores off · participle present scoring off · participle past scored off · past scored off
- idiomaticslangtransitiveinseparableTo defeat (especially in an argument), get the better of, achieve a success over, gain an advantage or win points over, make a point to the detriment or at the expense of, make appear foolish. Sometimes with particle on (someone).
The old hag never missed out on any opportunity to score off on her daughter-in-law.
3 more examples
Whether it was politics, trade, competition in industry, snobbery, boasting, self-advertisement, or gossip, the object was to score off one's adversary and put him down.
Aunt Laura wore an air of overpowering satisfaction. Evidently she had already triumphed, and she smiled so cheerfully at Edwin that he felt convinced that she had scored him off in some way.
You'd be worked up if you had just been scored off by Aubrey Upjohn, with that loathsome self-satisfied look on his face as if he'd been rebuking a pimply pupil at his beastly school for shuffling his feet in church.
1960, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, chapter XVIII, in Jeeves in the Offing, London: Herbert Jenkins, →OCLC - idiomaticseparabletransitiveTo delete or remove (especially from a list); to score out, strike out or strike off, cross out or cross off; to draw a line through.
You can score off my name, I quit.
4 more examples
You can score my name off, I quit.
He will keep the roll and score off the name of any Boy absent twice.
On the certificate of birth of Francis E. Dec, the name “Frank” has been scored off and “Francis” inserted above.
More people were simply scored off the list of unemployed than found employment through employment bureaux.
- archaicslangtransitiveTo defeat (someone) verbally; to win a confrontation with words; to tell (someone) off.
Origin
Translations
Bulgarian получавам предимство, зачерквам
- получавам предимство (polučavam predimstvo)to gain an advantage on somebody
- зачерквам (začerkvam)to scratch somebody out of a list or a group
Finnish pistää paremmaksi, vetää yli
- pistää paremmaksito gain an advantage on somebody
- vetää ylito scratch somebody out of a list or a group
French écraser, dominer
- écraserto gain an advantage on somebody
- dominerto gain an advantage on somebody
- humilierto gain an advantage on somebody
- mortifierto gain an advantage on somebody
- prendre le dessus surto gain an advantage on somebody
- aplatirto gain an advantage on somebody
- baiserto gain an advantage on somebody
- enculerto gain an advantage on somebody
- bifferto scratch somebody out of a list or a group
- rejeterto scratch somebody out of a list or a group
- exclureto scratch somebody out of a list or a group
- évincerto scratch somebody out of a list or a group
Italian afferrare la meglio, cancellare
- afferrare la meglioto gain an advantage on somebody
- cancellareto scratch somebody out of a list or a group
Spanish aplastar, dominar
- aplastarto gain an advantage on somebody
- dominarto gain an advantage on somebody
- humillarto gain an advantage on somebody
- mortificarto gain an advantage on somebody
- señorearto gain an advantage on somebody
- poder más queto gain an advantage on somebody
- joderto gain an advantage on somebody
- borrarto scratch somebody out of a list or a group
- tacharto scratch somebody out of a list or a group
- rayarto scratch somebody out of a list or a group
- echar fuerato scratch somebody out of a list or a group
- botarto scratch somebody out of a list or a group
Cite this entry
score off. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/score%20off
“score off.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/score%20off. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “score off,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/score%20off.
Source: score off on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.