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Glite Dictionary
to settle a score

to settle a score

2 6.2
To get revenge for something someone did to you
  • idiom
  • Offensive
translation icon : ajustar cuentas (con)
  • He could not wait for the chance to settle a score with his former teammate who had betrayed him.
  • just to settle a score

Examples

  • The soccer player wanted to settle a score with the referee after a controversial call led to his team losing the match.

  • After years apart, Sarah finally decided to visit her old friend to settle a score about their past disagreement.

  • I got to go settle a score

    Rushmore (1998)

  • The killer might want to right an old wrong... or settle a score.

    Murder 101 (1991)

  • GRACE :I'm just settling a score.

    Pete's Dragon (2016)

  • I was obliged to settle a score on behalf of... ...well... a friend.

    The Exorcist III (1990)

  • So, in a nutshell, you're following me down here to settle a score?

    The Judge (2014)

  • Lawler is gonna settle a score for each and every one of us, because we've all been insulted by this hideous Andy Kaufman from Hollywood, California.

    Man on the Moon (1999)

Synonyms

to get even
vsto settle a score
  • Informal
46 5.4

To do something to hurt someone because they hurt you

emphasizes acting to resolve a grievance rather than only restoring balance
to settle
vsto settle a score
  • Offensive
36 8.6

To take revenge on someone who harmed you

is the phrase for acting to resolve a disagreement or seek retribution
to fix
vsto settle a score
  • Informal
29 8.2

To get revenge on someone for something they did

focuses on resolving a grievance rather than punishing generally
to revenge
vsto settle a score
9 4.2

To harm someone because they hurt you or someone you care about

is the act of taking action to resolve a grievance or seek retribution
to pay off
vsto settle a score
  • Informal
1 5.1

Take revenge on someone for a wrong

covers taking action to resolve a disagreement or seek retribution
to pay off old scores
vsto settle a score
  • Informal
8.2

To get revenge or settle a past wrong

focuses on taking action to resolve a disagreement or seek retribution
to settle someone's hash
vsto settle a score
  • Slang
9.3

To punish or defeat someone to stop their harmful actions

is used for acting to resolve a disagreement or seek retribution

Antonyms

to ignore
∞ 1.0

Choose not to pay attention to someone or something

to overlook
243 2.9

To not notice someone or something you should see

How Aggressive

to settle a score
  • Offensive
2 6.2
to avenge
95 4.9
to get even
  • Informal
46 5.4
to talk over
66 3.2

Surface Forms

settle a score infinitive
settled a score past
settled a score past participle
settling a score present participle
settles a score third person singular

Morphology

settle + a + score

The meaning can be partially derived from the parts: 'settle' (resolve/pay off) combined with 'score' (an account or grudge) yields the idea of resolving an old grievance. However, the specific shade of meaning—taking revenge or retaliating—is somewhat idiomatic and relies on the non-literal sense of 'score', so a learner might not predict the exact force without exposure.

Etymology

The idiom settle a score comes from the old idea of paying a debt: a score was a record of money owed, and to settle it was to pay and finish the account. That's why today it can mean taking action to end a past wrong or get 'revenge'.