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 match for athletic contests, especially prizefights and wrestling matches. match.

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.

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matchmaker ² American  

[mach-mey-ker] / ˈmætʃˌmeɪ kər /

noun

1. a person who makes matches match for burning.

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matchmaker ¹ British  

/ ˈmætʃˌmeɪkə /

noun

1. a person who brings together suitable partners for marriage

2. a person who arranges competitive matches

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matchmaker ² British  

/ ˈmætʃˌmeɪkə /

noun

1. a person who makes matches (for igniting)

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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

Example Sentences

“Your gran, she sounds like she’s lost the plot, eh? There’s a war going on, the Germans are coming, and she’s playing matchmaker?”

From Literature

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

There are many questions these AZA matchmakers ask themselves before making breeding recommendations, and they extend beyond genetic and personality compatibility: Will these animals be able to create subgroups?

From Los Angeles Times

She once hired a matchmaker, and recently attended a run club.

From The Wall Street Journal

Jay, with his bouffant curly hair and preternatural ability to remember the smallest details, became a de facto musical matchmaker.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• arbitrator
• emissary
• intermediary
• liaison
• mediator
• messenger
• negotiator
• proxy