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Synonyms

matchmaker

1 American  
[mach-mey-ker] / ˈmætʃˌmeɪ kər /

noun

  1. a person who arranges or tries to arrange marriages by introducing possible mates.

  2. a person who arranges matches for athletic contests, especially prizefights and wrestling matches.

  3. any person, organization, etc., that brings two parties together, as to effect a sale or other transaction.

    an agent serving as a matchmaker between buyers and sellers.
matchmaker 2 American  
[mach-mey-ker] / ˈmætʃˌmeɪ kər /

noun

  1. a person who makes matches for burning.

matchmaker 1 British  
/ ˈmætʃˌmeɪkə /

noun

  1. a person who brings together suitable partners for marriage

  2. a person who arranges competitive matches

"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
matchmaker 2 British  
/ ˈmætʃˌmeɪkə /

noun

  1. a person who makes matches (for igniting)

"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

  • matchmaking noun

Etymology

Origin of matchmaker1

First recorded in 1630–40; match 2 + maker

Origin of matchmaker2

First recorded in 1635–45; match 1 + maker

Vocabulary lists containing matchmaker

Novel Study: The Joy Luck Club, Part I

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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.

So he and Harvey decided to play matchmaker.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 18, 2026

Over time, the tradition expanded and parents take the pictures of their daughters they want to marry off but have no suitors to a traditional matchmaker to find them a lover.

From Barron's • Feb. 13, 2026

Dean has become a kind of matchmaker, pairing neighbors’ needs with volunteers’ skills and, in the process, strengthening the sense of mattering of everyone who walks through the door.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 17, 2026

As Lucy, a New York matchmaker, Johnson’s character has turned the intangibles into her trade.

From Salon • Jun. 17, 2025

The next morning the matchmaker made her proud declaration in front of Tyan-yu, his parents, and myself.

From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan

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.