What does scored mean?
Scored is the past tense and past participle of score, and it is also used as an adjective. As a verb, it most commonly means to achieve or record points in a sport, game, competition, or examination. A team can score a goal, a player can score points on a test, and a judge can score an audition or submission. As an adjective, scored describes something to which a score or points have been assigned: a scored performance, a scored match, or a scored draft. The word may also have specialized meanings involving financial charges, penalties, or the recording of points. In general use, scored conveys the idea of measurement, assessment, or competitive achievement. It is especially common in sports reporting, where concise constructions such as 'scored twice' efficiently communicate both the action and its result.
To achieve or record points, goals, runs, or another numerical result; also, to assess something by assigning it a score.
"The striker scored twice in the second half."
The phrase 'score points' is broadly applicable, while sport-specific objects such as a goal, touchdown, or run depend on the game.
Having points recorded or assigned; marked or distinguished by a score.
"The scored test showed which students needed additional support."
This form is less common than the verbal use but is standard in phrases such as 'scored performance' and 'scored draft'.
A single moment can change an entire match: a team that scored once may become the team everybody remembers.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does scored come from?
The word scored comes from score, whose earliest known uses concerned debts, accounts, and calculations before it became associated with contest results and points. The suffix -ed forms the ordinary past-tense and past-participle ending. Score itself ultimately derives from Old Norse skór, meaning a notch, tally, or mark, reflecting the practice of keeping accounts through marks cut or recorded.
Related word forms
How scored is actually used
In sport, the usual pattern is 'score a goal, point, run, or try'. 'Scored' also means having been assigned a numerical assessment, as in a scored test or audition. In finance, it can mean the amount charged, as in 'the buyer was scored with an additional fee'; this usage is somewhat specialized.