even the score
idiom
1
: to get enough points, goals, runs, etc., to have the same score as one's opponent : to tie the score in a game
They evened the score at 5–5.
2
: to harm or punish someone who caused one harm
Examples of even the score in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The prelims begin at 4 p.m. ET, and the main card starts at 7 p.m.
In the main event, No. 8 women’s strawweight contender Mackenzie Dern will seek to even the score with No. 9 contender Amanda Ribas.
—
Brian Mazique, Forbes, 11 Jan. 2025
Colorado controlled most of the first period, but Bedard forced Samuel Girard into a turnover in the corner to the right of Miner and Ilya Mikheyev took the puck right to the net and finished with a nifty move at 16:18 to even the score at 1-1.
—Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 8 Jan. 2025
The Kings trailed by 14 in the second quarter before staging a 17-3 run to even the score.
—Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 2 Jan. 2025
The Penguins started slowly in Detroit and fell behind on two occasions, only to twice even the score thanks to Drew O’Connor, who scored twice to end his 32-game goal-less drought.
—Josh Yohe, The Athletic, 31 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for even the score 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Brian Mazique, Forbes, 11 Jan. 2025
Colorado controlled most of the first period, but Bedard forced Samuel Girard into a turnover in the corner to the right of Miner and Ilya Mikheyev took the puck right to the net and finished with a nifty move at 16:18 to even the score at 1-1.
—Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 8 Jan. 2025
The Kings trailed by 14 in the second quarter before staging a 17-3 run to even the score.
—Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 2 Jan. 2025
The Penguins started slowly in Detroit and fell behind on two occasions, only to twice even the score thanks to Drew O’Connor, who scored twice to end his 32-game goal-less drought.
—Josh Yohe, The Athletic, 31 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for even the score
Dictionary Entries Near even the score
Cite this Entry
“Even the score.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/even%20the%20score. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share