matchstick

American  

[mach-stik] / ˈmætʃˌstɪk /

noun

1. a short, slender piece of flammable wood used in making matches.

2. something that suggests a matchstick, as in thinness or fragility.

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matchstick British  

/ ˈmætʃˌstɪk /

noun

1. the wooden part of a match

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adjective

1. made with or as if with matchsticks

   a matchstick model

2. (esp of figures drawn with single strokes) thin and straight

   matchstick men

Etymology

Origin of matchstick

First recorded in 1785–95; match ¹ + stick ¹

Example Sentences

This weekend, LS Lowry will also be added to the list when a new, free immersive experience brings his trademark matchstick men to life at Salford's Lowry arts centre.

From BBC • May 1, 2025

“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

Sequoias can withstand some heat and scorching on their trunks, but flames that reach the crown can torch them, as if it were a giant matchstick.

From New York Times • Jul. 12, 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

A matchstick hissed, and a glow appeared on the guard’s boot.

From "Between Shades of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys