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

Investors seem to be locked in a wrestling match over these extremes, contributing to big swings in bonds last week.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026

Unite Here Local 11, the union which represents workers including dishwashers, concession workers, bartenders and servers and SoFi Stadium’s food-service operator Legends Global, came to a tentative agreement days before the first match.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026

For the opening 10 minutes, the match followed the script of last year's World Cup final between the two sides, with Canada breaking the deadlock and England immediately hitting back.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

More resources must be dedicated to model alignment, or ensuring that an AI model’s behaviors match human values and intentions, he argued.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026

It was a good match, her parents said.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

Araujo, who is also the stadium voice for the Galaxy, has worked Gold Cup and Copa América soccer matches, eight World Cup games and the 2003 Women’s World Cup final.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026

The Clarets started the season as third favourites for promotion, behind West Ham and Wolves, but are winless in their first eight matches.

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026

At both those public events I used matches from tower 100 to light the flame that fed others in the audience, and said a few words.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

Floyd is the son of former Blackburn and QPR defender Christopher, who played 171 top-flight matches for those two sides, as well as a further 12 in the Championship with Aston Villa.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

She’d bought candles and matches too, and batteries for their flashlights.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz

When officers arrived, they tried to approach a man who matched that description; he ran away and entered a nearby business.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

Lyukshin was trained in "information warfare" by senior Russian spies and his details matched those of EL.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

As for the most crowded trade, 53% identified “long global semiconductors” which matched last month’s survey.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

But the fears aren’t being matched — yet — by fund managers’ asset allocations.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

Penney, with ties that matched too well, and shirts that were starched just a bit too stiffly.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

But in patients with unusual antibodies or rare blood types, matching some of these lesser-known antigens can become crucial.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026

Champion of Westwood CEO Ken Graiwer responded by matching Harris’ donation, giving away 600 tickets.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

“With that as a backdrop, offering matching on student loans also incentivizes workers to pay loans and helps avoid a drop of credit score and fees if they don’t.”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

Also consider buying socks the same style and colour - matching those is still a nightmare for me a decade later.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

She had on her deep red coral multistrand necklace and matching earrings that she wore to his fifth-grade graduation ceremony.

From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young

Related Words

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