match

¹ American  

[mach] / mætʃ /

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.

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match ² American  

[mach] / mætʃ /

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, double, doppelgänger, dead ringer

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

   to meet one's match.

   Synonyms:

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

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.

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verb (used with object)

• matches,
  present (3rd person singular)
• matched,
  past participle,  past
• matching
  present participle

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)

• matches,
  present (3rd person singular)
• matched,
  past participle,  past
• matching
  present participle

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 British  

/ 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

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verb

1. to fit (parts) together

   to match the tongue and groove of boards

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

   the skirt matches your shoes well

3. to compare in order to determine which is the superior

   they matched wits

4. to adapt so as to correspond with

   to match hope with reality

5. 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 British  

/ mætʃ /

noun

1. 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

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match Idioms  

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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• matcher
  noun
• matchable
  adjective
• matching
  adjective
• unmatchable
  adjective
• unmatched
  adjective
• unmatching
  adjective
• well-matched
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• matching
  present
• matched
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• match
  simple
• matches
  simple
• have matched
  perfect
• has matched
  perfect
• am matching
  progressive
• are matching
  progressive
• is matching
  progressive
• have been matching
  perfect progressive
• has been matching
  perfect progressive

Past

• matched
  simple
• had matched
  perfect
• was matching
  progressive
• were matching
  progressive
• had been matching
  perfect progressive

Future

• will match
  simple
• will have matched
  perfect
• will be matching
  progressive
• will have been matching
  perfect progressive

Etymology

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”

Explanation

A match is a competition or game, like a soccer match. Another type of match places people together instead of opposing one another. Perhaps you'll find your perfect match on an online dating web site. You might cheer at a boxing match or challenge your friend to a tennis match. Another kind of match is a pair of things that go together or are equal: "His zombie costume was a perfect match with his best friend's." There's also the match you strike to start a fire: "She lit the candle with a match." This match has a Greek root meaning "lamp wick," while other matches come from the Proto-Germanic gamakon, "fitting together."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

match matches matched matching

Banks, dressed in a blue suit and tie, swiveled back and forth watching his lawyer and Hester, like watching a tennis match.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

Gauff hit a trio of unreturned first serves - all just under the 120mph mark, teeing up three match points as Sonmez buckled on the first after a short rally.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

Rybakina served out the win with an ace of her own – her sixth of the match and tour-leading 363rd of the season.

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026

Management sees growth potential at the new hospital, ‘Kasemrad International Hospital Ubon Ratchathani,’ partly because there is scope to raise treatment prices to match other Kasemrad hospitals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

It was all she could hear, her heart and her breathing, and for a wild instant she thought she might be able to match it, like her heart, too, might start beating.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

It is also intriguing that Gyokeres has not played a minute of the opening two Premier League matches so far.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

In this case, the orientation of the rocks matches the direction of the African Superplume's northward mantle flow.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 1, 2026

This is the fifth season in a row where Arsenal have won their first two Premier League matches and they again have a solid platform to build another title challenge.

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026

"Without question late-night matches were heavily discussed and reviewed after the 2022 US Open," tournament director Stacey Allaster said in 2023, after opting to maintain the late schedule.

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026

The warriors said the slow matches on the English men’s guns were smoking up the room, making them sick, and they should put them out.

From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone

Those participants were matched with other people who also had insomnia but had no documented melatonin use.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 29, 2026

Iran's top diplomat Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday that the proposed framework is "case in point" showing how his country's "commitment to peace and stability is matched by steadfast diplomacy with our neighbours".

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

“We felt the speaking version of the character was weird and disturbing and the voice never completely even matched what I thought Wile E. would sound like,” Green says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

That defensive output was matched by his ability to progress possession himself.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

Gingersnipes matched his trepidation, crouching at the window, her tiny ears flickering to pick up the distant noise.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

Independent research group Airwars works to identify civilian deaths from a range of open sources including news agencies, NGOs and social media, matching names it finds to those published by the health ministry.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

“If you have to pay money to get money, it’s probably a scam. There are several free scholarship matching services. The most popular ones are Fastweb.com and the College Board’s Big Future.”

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026

The global oil market is under stress from the Iran war, but by and large it does a good job of matching supply and demand.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

Identifying them was not simple, however, because researchers had trouble matching older species names with the genetic lineages found in modern specimens.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 2026

They were dressed in identical shiny, purple leotards with matching supershort shorts, pink tights, and pink leg warmers.

From "The Cinderella Ballet Mystery: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #4" by Carolyn Keene

Related Words

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