1
as in tournaments
a competitive encounter between individuals or groups carried on for amusement, exercise, or in pursuit of a prize
a chess match
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in marriages
a union representing a special kind of social and legal partnership between two people
from all appearances those two have got a good match there
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in halves
either of a pair matched in one or more qualities
I can't find the match to this sock
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in equivalents
one that is equal to another in status, achievement, or value
for a wife he wants a woman who will be his match in every aspect of their lives
Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in pictures
something or someone that strongly resembles another
Erin is so nearly my exact match you'd think she must be my twin and not just my cousin
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in rivalries
an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another
the discussion soon degenerated into a pointless shouting match
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in complements
to be the exact counterpart of
does this handbag's shade of blue match my navy blue pants? the rare blood type that exactly matched that of the transplant recipient
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
3
as in meets
to produce something equal to (as in quality or value)
no one has ever been able to match that novel for its portrayal of the horrors of war
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of matches
Ahmed Walid, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
In his leisure time, Atharva loves learning about digital marketing and watching soccer matches.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2025
This was offset by a high hotel quality rating, of 8 out of 10, alongside an 82,500-capacity stadium with eight matches allocated.
—Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
Clarke won all three of his matches, including a 3 & 2 singles victory against Zach Johnson, where Clarke almost instantly broke down in tears and shared long embraces with members of Team USA.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2025
Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2025
The spotty quality of the voice work matches the unevenness of the animation from Toronto’s Guru Studios.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 1 Oct. 2025
Mings has started all six of Villa’s Premier League matches this season.
—Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Now, a team of engineers at the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Amherst has created an artificial neuron that doesn’t just mimic how real neurons behave, but also matches them in size, energy use, signal strength, timing, and responsiveness to chemical signals.
—New Atlas, 30 Sep. 2025
Sight is represented by a custom glass marble that matches your favorite member's eye color.
—Mackenzie Schmidt, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 2025
My experience on college campuses matches a recent Harvard Harris poll which reported 48% of 18—24 year old Americans support Hamas over Israel.
—Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Austin brings a special energy and enthusiasm to his work on the baseball field, which matches the approach of the designers and craftsmen who create our beautiful products.
—Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2025
Partridge matches Boyle with a stoic, though also kind of wormy, good nature as Edward.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025
Noun
In April 2012, United made the short trip to Wigan eight points ahead of title rivals City, with six matches left to play.
—Ahmed Walid, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
In his leisure time, Atharva loves learning about digital marketing and watching soccer matches.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2025
This was offset by a high hotel quality rating, of 8 out of 10, alongside an 82,500-capacity stadium with eight matches allocated.
—Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
Clarke won all three of his matches, including a 3 & 2 singles victory against Zach Johnson, where Clarke almost instantly broke down in tears and shared long embraces with members of Team USA.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2025
Verb
Edith Hessenberger, director of the Ötztal Museums, told Austrian news outlets that evidence from the materials, locked away under the ice for 80 years, matches almost exactly with historical records from the mission.
—Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2025
The spotty quality of the voice work matches the unevenness of the animation from Toronto’s Guru Studios.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 1 Oct. 2025
Mings has started all six of Villa’s Premier League matches this season.
—Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Now, a team of engineers at the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Amherst has created an artificial neuron that doesn’t just mimic how real neurons behave, but also matches them in size, energy use, signal strength, timing, and responsiveness to chemical signals.
—New Atlas, 30 Sep. 2025
Sight is represented by a custom glass marble that matches your favorite member's eye color.
—Mackenzie Schmidt, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 2025
My experience on college campuses matches a recent Harvard Harris poll which reported 48% of 18—24 year old Americans support Hamas over Israel.
—Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Austin brings a special energy and enthusiasm to his work on the baseball field, which matches the approach of the designers and craftsmen who create our beautiful products.
—Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2025
Partridge matches Boyle with a stoic, though also kind of wormy, good nature as Edward.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for matches
Noun
-
The SoCal Sports Complex there has 20 grass soccer fields that host teams from throughout the state for weekend tournaments.—
Phil Diehl,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Sep. 2025
-
White was a visible presence at his tournaments, including his breakthrough win at the Mexico Open at Vidanta earlier this year.—
Aliss Higham,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
In two straight seasons, Faber played incredible first halves, then fell off fairly dramatically.—
The Athletic NHL,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Fearon has conducted twelve such procedures — the condition is rare, affecting about one in 100,000 births, according to NBC-DFW — in an effort to bring together the different halves of the face.—
Cara Lynn Shultz,
PEOPLE,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Using employees – the number of people – rather than full-time equivalents makes these numbers difficult to compare directly with EPA’s budget proposals.—
Chris Sellers,
The Conversation,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Lucid also promotes the vehicle with city and freeway MPGe equivalents of 114 and 109.—
James Raia,
Mercury News,
21 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The only thing neighbors’ cameras will share are pictures and clips of dogs that could be yours.—
Mike Feibus,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
-
The reporter had already sent me pictures and audio recordings, promising a complete draft by Monday night.—
Zahra Nader,
Time,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
This sense of competition has caused countless promotions to create timeless matches and rivalries that have stood the test of time, whether your looking at the Territories Era, the Monday Night Wars between WWE and WCW, or the rivalry between NJPW and AJPW in Japan.—
Jeremy Hanna,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
-
What was one of the best rivalries in the 1980s and 90s has lost some of its luster more recently, with one or both of the programs being down for much of the last decade.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Furniture purchased from local antique dealers complements the historic building.—
Janice Phelan,
Kansas City Star,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Dylan DeMelo plays a quieter game that complements Morrissey, between his blue-line defense and zone exits.—
The Athletic NHL,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
This film marries the two, as modern macro economics lead people to abandon fertile lands in search of work in urban cities, depleting the white storks’ natural food supply as farms become landfills.—
Scott Feinberg,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Sep. 2025
-
At the 55-acre estate, head winemaker Maya Hood White marries scientific precision with an intuitive feel for the land, using cover crops and careful canopy management to foster biodiversity and balance.—
Taryn White,
Travel + Leisure,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Visit the Portland Head Light for great photo ops where fall foliage meets the ocean, then explore the Children’s Garden, arboretum, and trails at Fort Williams Park.—
Beth Luberecki,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
-
Sisterhood Above All meets Ava, a pledge at Southern State University's Gamma sorority.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Matches.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/matches. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.
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