noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of rematch
Explanation
After a tie or an unsatisfactory result in a game or competition, people might call for a rematch to play again and settle the score. A rematch is a second game or competition between opponents who competed against each other before. Rematches are common in sports and in competitive games like chess, especially when the first outcome was close or controversial. For example, if a chess game ends in a draw — in which neither player wins — the players might agree to a rematch to determine a winner. Rematches add excitement and anticipation as competitors get another chance to prove themselves against a challenging opponent.
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:
In a rematch of last year’s Southern Section Division 1 football championship game won in a rout by the Eagles, the Huskies put up a fight before falling by one point.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026
That’s when they face a rematch against No. 2 Oregon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
The January 16 poll will in part be a rematch of 2023, with Tinubu again running against former southeastern governor Peter Obi and ex-vice president Atiku Abubakar.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
WBO champion Daniel Dubois defeated Fabio Wardley in May to become a two-time heavyweight world champion, and Warren confirmed the pair will contest a rematch in October.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
"A rematch I won't give him, even after forty years. A tough one, remember that night..."
From "The Contender" by Robert Lipsyte
As he has done in all previous rematches – against Fury and Joshua – Usyk used the data he had downloaded from the first encounter to his advantage.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2025
The league phase featured rematches of four of the last five Champions League finals with Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice saying: "Usually, you find these games in the quarter-finals or semi-finals."
From BBC ● May 31, 2025
That Rams-Lions game was a season opener, so there could be three Week 1 rematches.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 5, 2025
Retired coach Ed Croson was one of the best in figuring out how to win rematches when he was at Birmingham and Chaminade.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2024
As it turns out, the data show that the 7-7 wrestlers win only 40 percent of the rematches.
From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt
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.
