matchstick
Americannoun
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matchsticks
plural
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a short, slender piece of flammable wood used in making matches.
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something that suggests a matchstick, as in thinness or fragility.
noun
adjective
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made with or as if with matchsticks
a matchstick model
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(esp of figures drawn with single strokes) thin and straight
matchstick men
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of matchstick
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
A French model-enthusiast who wanted to beat the world record for a matchstick Eiffel Tower has had his hopes dashed.
From BBC ● Feb. 7, 2024
“Walk Ventura’s beaches and, in the distance, it wavers like a child’s matchstick project,” the bureau states on its website.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 1, 2024
According to the historian Louise Raw, matchstick makers’ struggle for safer working conditions helped galvanize the modern trade union movement.
From New York Times ● Nov. 4, 2022
“A matchstick — or any fire — is doing the same thing,” said Issac Sanchez, a battalion chief for communications at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2022
He pauses, swipes a matchstick on a column.
From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson
Working in batches, use your hands to dip a handful of zucchini matchsticks in the batter, then place them in a heated pan with the oil.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
The first is a savory dip for vegetables — lately carrot and cucumber matchsticks or sugar snap peas.
From Salon ● Mar. 9, 2026
In the fires, palms went up with a whoosh, like matchsticks in hell.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2025
Mr. Plaud had earned the title, Guinness clarified in a statement, even though he had used matchsticks without ignitable ends.
From New York Times ● Feb. 9, 2024
A sheet of paper sliced into strips, thin as matchsticks, woven to form a net.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
