1 C1 idiomatic informal
To unintentionally cause harm or disadvantage to oneself through one's own actions or words.
"By leaking that information, the politician ended up scoring on himself instead of damaging his rival."
inseparable
score on oneself
C1 informal inseparable intransitive
To accidentally cause harm or disadvantage to oneself by one's own actions, as in scoring an own goal.
In plain English
To accidentally do something that hurts you instead of the other person, like scoring a goal for the other team.
What does "score on oneself" mean?
One main meaning — here's how to use it.
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To score a point against oneself — transparent in sports context.
Actually means
To accidentally do something that hurts you instead of the other person, like scoring a goal for the other team.
Usage tip
Extremely rare as a phrasal verb. Derived from the sports concept of an 'own goal'. Much more commonly expressed as 'score an own goal' (British English) or 'shoot oneself in the foot'. Unlikely to be encountered except in very informal speech.
Words that pair with "score on oneself"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
accidentally inadvertently own goal argument debate
How to conjugate "score on oneself"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
score on oneself
I/you/we/they
3rd person
scores on oneself
he/she/it
Past simple
scored on oneself
yesterday
Past participle
scored on oneself
have + pp
-ing form
scoring on oneself
continuous
Hear "score on oneself" in the wild
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