Sentence:  Whether it was politics, trade, competition in industry, snobbery, boasting, self-advertisement, or gossip, the object was to <WSD>score off</WSD> one's adversary and put him down. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  To 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. (on (someone)).