match play

American

noun

Golf.

play in which the score is reckoned by counting the holes won by each side.

match play British

noun

golf Compare Stableford stroke play
1. scoring according to the number of holes won and lost
2. ( as modifier )
  
  a matchplay tournament

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

match player

noun

Etymology

Origin of match play

First recorded in 1885–90

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:

match play

Mark Fine, who has co-written a book about bunkers, says the increased use of rakes after World War I was the result of a shift from match play to stroke play.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 4, 2026

If this were 1974, TV fans could have seen this knock-down, grudge match play out in real time.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2024

"I've played in a few. I love playing match play."

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2024

The top 65 players plus ties after the first two days will advance to the third round Friday, and then the top eight players will compete in match play over the weekend.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 3, 2024

One of the great things to remember in match play is this—do not strive to win outright with every stroke.

From Lawn Tennis for Ladies by Lambert Chambers, Mrs.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023