Meaning & use
match
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Meanings
nouncountable
An organized contest between two players or teams in a sport or game.
Grammar: Countable: a match, two matches. Often used with play, win, lose, or watch.
Patterns
- a match between A and B
- a football/tennis/boxing match
- win/lose/play a match
We watched the tennis match on Saturday afternoon.
There is a big match between the two top teams next week.
She won her first professional match in straight sets.
nouncountable
A short thin stick with a special tip that burns when struck, used to make a flame.
Grammar: Countable: a match, a box of matches. Often used with strike, light, or put out.
Patterns
- a box of matches
- strike a match
- light a match
He struck a match to light the candle.
Keep matches out of the reach of children.
The wind blew out the match before she could light the stove.
verbtransitive or intransitive
To be the same as or very similar to something else.
Grammar: Can take an object (match something) or be used without one, often with with: The curtains match the carpet. / These shoes don't match with that dress.
Patterns
- match something
- match with something
- match somebody in something
Your shoes don't match your bag.
The two reports match closely on all the main points.
No one can match her dedication to the job.
nounsingular
A person or thing that is equal to another in quality, strength, or ability.
Grammar: Usually singular, often in the phrase 'a match for somebody' or 'no match for somebody'.
Patterns
- a match for somebody
- no match for somebody
- meet your match
He is no match for the champion.
She finally met her match in the final round.
As a cook, he has no match in this town.
Word forms
| plural | matches |
|---|---|
| third person singular | matches |
| past tense | matched |
| past participle | matched |
| -ing form | matching |
Common combinations
- a perfect match
- The two colors are a perfect match.
- a football match
- The football match ended in a draw.
- match point
- She saved three match points before winning.
- a box of matches
- He bought a box of matches at the corner shop.
- match somebody's needs
- The course is designed to match students' needs.
Synonyms and how they differ
- game
- Game is a general word for an activity with rules; a match is one specific contest within that activity. You play a game of tennis, but a professional contest is a match.
- contest
- Contest is more formal and can refer to any competition, including academic ones; match is used mainly for sports and games.
- correspond
- Correspond is a more formal verb meaning to be similar or equivalent; match is more common in everyday speech.
Opposites
Word family
- matching adjective
- Having the same color, pattern, or style: matching shoes and bag.
- matchbox noun
- A small box for holding matches.
- matchless adjective
- So good that nothing can equal it; usually literary.
- rematch noun
- A second match between the same opponents.
Commonly confused: match or game? match or march?
match vs game
A game is the activity or sport itself (football is a game), while a match is one organized contest. You wouldn't say 'I play match' to mean the sport.
match vs march
March sounds similar but means to walk in a military manner or a month. Don't confuse 'a tennis match' with 'a protest march'.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'match' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A match is a small stick for making fire, so 'struck a match to light the fire' is correct. The other options confuse the fire-stick sense with the sports contest sense, which does not fit 'struck'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “match”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.