match

¹

[ mach ]

noun

1. a slender piece of wood, cardboard, or other flammable material tipped with a chemical substance that produces fire when rubbed on a rough or chemically prepared surface.
2. a wick, cord, or the like, prepared to burn at an even rate, used to fire cannon, gunpowder, etc.

match

²

[ mach ]

noun

1. a person or thing that equals or resembles another in some respect.

   Synonyms: replica, facsimile, duplicate, copy, clone, carbon copy, twin, spit and image, picture, look-alike, likeness, image, doppelgänger, dead ringer, double

2. a person or thing able to cope with another as an equal:

   to meet one's match.

   Synonyms: like, equivalent, equal, counterpart, coequal, rival, peer, parallel

3. a person or thing that is an exact counterpart of another.

   Synonyms: mate, half, fellow, companion

4. a corresponding, suitably associated, or harmonious pair:

   The blue hat and green scarf were not a good match.

5. Sports.
   1. a game or contest in which two or more contestants or teams oppose each other:

      a soccer match.

   2. a contest consisting of a specific number of sets:

      a tennis match.

   Synonyms: contest, competition, bout, game

6. any contest or competition that resembles a sports match:

   a shouting match.

7. a person considered with regard to suitability as a partner in marriage:

   a good match.

8. a matrimonial union; marriage:

   Neither family approved of the match.

verb (used with object)

1. to equal; be equal to:

   My talent does not match his.

2. to be the match or counterpart of; harmonize with:

   The skirt matches the jacket perfectly.

3. to cause to correspond; adapt:

   to match one's actions to one's beliefs.

4. to fit together, as two things:

   to match the pieces of a puzzle.

5. to fit (boards) together, side by side or end to end, with a tongue-and-groove or rabbeted joint.
6. to procure or produce an equal to:

   Try though we did, we could not match our first success.

7. to place in opposition or conflict:

   I matched my wits against his strength.

8. to provide with an adversary or competitor of equal power:

   The teams were well matched.

9. to encounter as an adversary with equal power.
10. to prove a match for.
11. to unite in marriage; procure a matrimonial alliance for.
12. to toss (coins) into the air and then compare the matching or contrasting sides that land facing up, as for determining the winner of a bet.
13. to match coins with.

verb (used without object)

1. to be equal or suitable:

   Our talents match.

2. to correspond; be of corresponding size, shape, color, pattern, etc.:

   These gloves do not match.

3. Archaic. to ally oneself in marriage.

match

¹

/ mætʃ /

noun

1. a formal game or sports event in which people, teams, etc, compete to win
2. a person or thing able to provide competition for another

   she's met her match in talking ability

3. a person or thing that resembles, harmonizes with, or is equivalent to another in a specified respect

   that coat is a good match for your hat

4. a person or thing that is an exact copy or equal of another
5. 1. a partnership between a man and a woman, as in marriage
   2. an arrangement for such a partnership
6. a person regarded as a possible partner, as in marriage

verb

1. to fit (parts) together

   to match the tongue and groove of boards

2. also intrsometimes foll byup to resemble, harmonize with, correspond to, or equal (one another or something else)

   the skirt matches your shoes well

3. sometimes foll bywith or against to compare in order to determine which is the superior

   they matched wits

4. often foll byto or with to adapt so as to correspond with

   to match hope with reality

5. often foll bywith or against to arrange a competition between
6. to find a match for
7. electronics to connect (two circuits) so that their impedances are equal or are equalized by a coupling device, to produce a maximum transfer of energy

match

²

/ mætʃ /

noun

1. See safety match
   a thin strip of wood or cardboard tipped with a chemical that ignites by friction when rubbed on a rough surface or a surface coated with a suitable chemical See safety match
2. a length of cord or wick impregnated with a chemical so that it burns slowly. It is used to fire cannons, explosives, etc

Derived Forms

• ˈmatching, adjective
• ˈmatchable, adjective
• ˈmatcher, noun

Other Words From

• matcha·ble adjective
• matcher noun
• un·matcha·ble adjective
• un·matched adjective
• un·matching adjective
• well-matched adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of match¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English meccche, macche “wick,” from Middle French meiche, Old French me(s)che, from unattested Vulgar Latin mesca “lamp wick,” variant of Latin myxa, from Greek mýxa “mucus, nostril, nozzle of a lamp”

Origin of match²

First recorded before 900; Middle English ma(c)che, me(c)che “husband, wife, mate, equal,” Old English gemæcca, gemecca “mate, fellow, consort”

Word History and Origins

Origin of match¹

Old English gemæcca spouse; related to Old High German gimmaha wife, Old Norse maki mate

Origin of match²

C14: from Old French meiche, perhaps from Latin myxa wick, from Greek muxa lamp nozzle

Idioms and Phrases

see meet one's match ; mix and match ; whole ball of wax (shooting match) .

Example Sentences

String your bow, see how it bends, unstring it, and do some tiller work—the process of carving the belly of the bow to make the bending limbs match.

From Popular-Science

Partial match domains refer to when your domain name has partially included the main keyword that you are trying to rank for.

From Search Engine Watch

After all, there is no perfect match within an activity data set.

From FiveThirtyEight

I am embarrassed that I just have returned from weapons and war, not good enough to be a match for you.

From Vox

By the time Tinder announced the second season of “Swipe Night” in February, Tinder said millions of users had tuned into the series and matches and conversations had increased by 26% and 12%, respectively.

From TechCrunch

Part of the problem is the mandate of the war and the means with which the U.S. is fighting it do not match up.

From The Daily Beast

We can also begin to plan our wardrobes to match our new and improved selves.

From The Daily Beast

When he is awarded Player of the Match while competing for India in England, he is given champagne at the ceremony.

From The Daily Beast

The trouble is, Pakistan kept losing its wars with India and is indeed no match for India.

From The Daily Beast

A season of Game of Thrones tells its story over ten hours, and only a video game adaptation could match or exceed that.

From The Daily Beast

Little did Tressan dream to what a cask of gunpowder he was applying the match of his smug pertness.

From Project Gutenberg

A cricket-match was in progress, but the bowling and batting were extremely wild, thanks to The Warren strong beer.

From Project Gutenberg

"He's been counting the days till you got home, Mark," said Tim, holding a burning match over my pipe.

From Project Gutenberg

And Jimmy, although there is not much money in the family—about twenty thousand a year—would be a very good match.

From Project Gutenberg

It was deep twilight in the room, and rather cold, for the eucalyptus and olive logs in the fireplace still awaited the match.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• bout
• contest
• event
• game
• race
• test
• trial