match
[noun]
Synonyms:
- game, bout, competition, contest, head-to-head, test, trial
- equal, counterpart, peer, rival
- marriage, alliance, pairing, partnership
[verb]
Synonyms:
- correspond, accord, agree, fit, go with, harmonize, tally
- rival, compare, compete, emulate, equal, measure up to

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Related Idioms: hold a candle to
Related Words: analogue, parallel, bout, engagement, game, complement, supplement, compare, stack up

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English Thesaurus: match, go with something, go together, complement, well coordinated/perfectly coordinated, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. match¹ S2 W2 /mætʃ/ noun
[Word Family: adjective: matching, unmatched; verb: match; noun: match]
[Sense 1, 3-7: Language: Old English; Origin: mæcca]
[Sense 2: Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: meiche 'wick']

1. GAME [countable] especially British English an organized sports event between two teams or people:
It’s our last match of the season.
cricket/football/tennis etc match
They’re preparing for a big (=important) match tomorrow.
match against/between/with
the match between Nigeria and Ireland
home/away match (=a match played at a team’s own sports ground, or at a different ground)
Good teams win their home matches.
McClaire’s goal earned him the title of man of the match (=the person in a team who plays best).

2. FIRE [countable] a small wooden or paper stick with a special substance at the top, that you use to light a fire, cigarette etc:
a box of matches
Don’t let your children play with matches.
strike/light a match (=rub a match against a surface to produce a flame)
Peg struck a match and lit the candle.
I tore up the letter and put a match to it (=made it burn, using a match).

3. COLOURS/PATTERNS [singular] something that is the same colour or pattern as something else, or looks attractive with it
match for
That shirt’s a perfect match for your blue skirt.

4. GOOD OPPONENT [singular] someone who is much stronger, cleverer etc than their opponent:
Carlos was no match for the champion.
This time you’ve met your match, Adam Burns! I’m not giving up without a fight!
Guerrilla tactics proved more than a match for the Soviet military machine.

5. shouting match (also slanging match British English) a loud angry argument in which two people insult each other:
The meeting degenerated into a shouting match.

6. MARRIAGE [singular] a marriage or two people who are married:
They’re a perfect match.
a match made in heaven (=a marriage of two people who are exactly right for each other)
Claire made a good match (=married someone suitable).

7. SUITABILITY [singular] a situation in which something is suitable for something else, so that the two things work together successfully
match between
We need to establish a match between students’ needs and teaching methods.
⇒ mix and match at mix¹(6)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. match² S3 W2 verb
[Word Family: adjective: matching, unmatched; verb: match; noun: match]

1. LOOK GOOD TOGETHER [intransitive and transitive] if one thing matches another, or if two things match, they look attractive together because they are a similar colour, pattern etc ⇒ matching:
We painted the cabinets green to match the rug.
Do you think this outfit matches?
a beech dining table with four chairs to match (=chairs that match it)
► Do not say that one thing ‘matches to’ or ‘matches with’ another. Say that one thing matches another.

2. LOOK THE SAME [intransitive and transitive] two things that match look the same because they are a pair:
Your socks don’t match.

3. SEEM THE SAME [intransitive and transitive] if two things match, or if one matches the other, there is no important difference between them:
The suspect matched the descriptions provided by witnesses.
Their actions do not match their words.
match exactly/closely/perfectly
The copy closely matches the original.

4. SUITABLE [transitive] to be suitable for a particular person, thing, or situation Synonym : suit:
Teaching materials should match individual students’ needs.
We’ll help you find a home that will match your requirements.
well-matched/ill-matched
a well-matched pair

5. CONNECT [transitive] to put two people or things together that are similar to or somehow connected with each other
match something to/with somebody/something
Can you name the animals and match them to the correct countries?
All checked-in baggage must be matched with a passenger travelling on the aircraft.

6. BE EQUAL [transitive] to be equal to something in value, size, or quality:
His strength is matched by his intelligence.
Few cities in Europe can match the cultural richness of Berlin.
Fancy designer labels tend to come with fancy price tags to match.
evenly/equally matched
The two candidates are fairly evenly matched.

7. MAKE EQUAL [transitive] to make something equal to something else
match something to something
Lindsey matched her steps to those of the other girl as they walked.
an attempt to match financial resources to need

8. GIVE MONEY [transitive] to give a sum of money that is equal to a sum given by someone else:
The government has promised to match any private donations to the earthquake fund.

9. COMPETITION [transitive usually passive] if you are matched against someone else in a game or competition, you are competing against them
be matched against/with somebody
Federer was matched against Nadal in the final.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

match
noun
I. in sports
ADJ. big, crucial, important | exciting, thrilling | championship, competitive, cup, league | friendly | away, home He's such a keen fan, he even goes to all the away matches.
cricket, football, rugby, wrestling, etc.
VERB + MATCH play The match will be played in the new stadium.
have Figo had an outstanding match.
go to, see, watch | be defeated in, lose | clinch, win A late goal clinched the match for Porto.
draw We drew our first game of the season 1?1.
MATCH + VERB take place
PREP. during a/the ~ an incident which took place during Saturday's match
in a/the ~ She was injured in last week's match.
~ against the match against Wales
~ between the match between Japan and Brazil
~ with They lost their match with Estonia.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

match
II. for lighting a fire
ADJ. lighted
QUANT. box
VERB + MATCH light, strike He lit a match so they could see in the cave.
blow out
PHRASES put a match to sth Someone had put a match to the pile of papers.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

match
III. good combination
ADJ. excellent, good, perfect The blouse and skirt are a perfect match.
PREP. ~ between an excellent match between our goals and what your company offers
~ for That jumper should be a good match for your trousers.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

match
IV. sth the same
ADJ. exact
PREP. ~ for To forge the certificate, she needed an exact match for the paper and the fonts.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

match
verb
I. combine well
ADV. well As a couple they are not very well matched (= they are not very suitable for each other).
not quite The room was full of old furniture that didn't quite match.
PHRASES to match I bought a duvet cover and some curtains to match.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

match
II. find sth similar/connected
ADV. correctly | carefully
PREP. for The control group in the experiment was matched for age and sex.
to The aim of the competition is to match the quote to the person who said it.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

match
III. be/make sth equal/better
ADV. almost She found that his determination almost matched her own.
not quite Nothing quite matches the fine, subtle flavour of this cheese.
VERB + MATCH come close to | be able/unable to The company was unable to match his current salary.
try to | fail to Children can be made to suffer when they fail to match their parents' expectations.
PREP. for No other rock band comes even close to matching them for dynamism or style.
PHRASES be equally/evenly/well matched The teams were very evenly matched.
be unevenly matched

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

match
V. provide sth suitable
ADV. carefully | up We have to match up the right pet with the right owner.
VERB + MATCH seek to, try to
PREP. to The available organs are carefully matched to people in need of transplants.
with The agency tries to match single people with suitable partners.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

match

go to a match
I love going to football matches.
watch a match
I watched the match on TV.
play a match
We played the match in heavy rain.
lose a match
They lost the match, despite playing very well.
win a match
Do you think we'll win our next match?
draw a match (=finish with the score even)
United have drawn their last two matches.
have a match (=be scheduled to play a match)
Do we have a match on Sunday?
postpone a match (=arrange for it to happen at a later time)
Our first match was postponed because of bad weather.
miss a match (=not play in a match)
He missed two matches because of an ankle injury.
level the match (=make the score level)
Woods won the last two holes to level the match.
clinch the match (=to win a match by scoring a goal, hitting a winning ball etc)
Ronaldo clinched the match with a brilliant goal.
referee a match (=be the person on the field who makes sure players follow the rules)
The matches are refereed by the children's parents.
a match kicks off (=it starts)
The match kicks off at 3.30 pm.
great/brilliant (=very good to watch)
We're sure it's going to be another great match.
exciting
The match could not have been more exciting.
thrilling (=very exciting)
There were some thrilling matches at Wimbledon this year.
tough (=difficult)
At this stage of the competition, every match is tough.
close (=with each team playing equally well)
Germany won the match, although it was close.
an important/crucial match
Luckily, all their players are fit for such an important match.
a big match (=an important match)
Are you going to watch the big match on TV?
a football/rugby/tennis etc match
There was a rugby match going on on the school field.
a home match (=played at the place where a team usually practises)
They have won their last five home matches.
an away match (=played at the place where the opponent usually practises)
This is their last away match of the season.
a live match (=shown on TV as it happens)
There is a live match on TV every Wednesday evening.
a friendly match (=not part of a competition)
Fitness is still important in friendly matches.
a qualifying match (=to decide who plays in a competition)
They won all their qualifying matches.
a semi-final match (=between two of the last four teams left in a competition)
Spain beat Russia in their semi-final match last night.
man of the match (=the best player in a match)
Henri was named man of the match.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

match
verb
BAD: The green jacket doesn't match to the trousers.
GOOD: The green jacket doesn't match the trousers.
BAD: We chose the sunflowers to match with the wallpaper.
GOOD: We chose the sunflowers to match the wallpaper.

Usage Note:
One thing matches /doesn't match another thing (WITHOUT to/with ): 'You can't wear that blue tie. It doesn't match your shirt.'
Compare: 'The green jacket doesn't go with the trousers.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

match if something matches something else, they look good together because they are very similar in colour or style:
a black suit with a handbag and shoes to match
The earrings matched her eyes.
go with something to look good with something else - Go with is very common in everyday English:
Do you think that blue wallpaper will go with the carpet?
go together if two things go together, they look good when they are worn or seen with each other. Go together is very common in everyday English:
That jacket and skirt don’t really go together.
The blue and the yellow go together well.
complement formal if a piece of clothing or a colour complements something, it makes it look more attractive:
A simple string of pearls will complement any outfit.
well coordinated/perfectly coordinated if clothes, decorations etc are well or perfectly coordinated, they look good together because they have similar colours and styles:
Her outfits are always perfectly coordinated.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲