MATCHES Synonyms: 217 Similar and Opposite Words

matches 1 of 2

noun

plural of match

as in tournaments

a competitive encounter between individuals or groups carried on for amusement, exercise, or in pursuit of a prize a chess match

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Relevance

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

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as in halves

either of a pair matched in one or more qualities I can't find the match to this sock

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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

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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

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as in rivalries

an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another the discussion soon degenerated into a pointless shouting match

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matches

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of match

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

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as in marries

to give in marriage they were happy to match their daughter to a man from a good family

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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

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of matches

Noun

Take a look Security was tight at Hard Rock Stadium on Monday night at the first of seven World Cup matches in South Florida. —

Miami Herald, 16 June 2026 Their journey to the World Cup has been uniquely fraught, with a war erupting between the host of their matches and their home country. —

Iliana Limón Romero, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2026 The Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) roster features some of the top-tier professional wrestlers in the industry with company putting on innovative matches since its inception. —

Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 16 June 2026 The game Tuesday is at Kansas City Stadium, the first of the city’s World Cup matches. —

J.m. Banks june 15, Kansas City Star, 16 June 2026 This summer — 32 years since the United States first hosted the world’s biggest sporting competition — Chattanooga is among several cities established as World Cup base camps, where visiting teams live and train between matches. —

ABC News, 15 June 2026 During the breaks between matches, videos (including some that appeared to be possibly made with the help of AI) telling the history of America blasted through the makeshift arena, including one video narrated by Paramount’s own Cole Hauser, the star of Dutton Ranch. —

Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 15 June 2026 Who could forget the early-aughts era of Victoria Beckham and her fellow WAGs arriving at matches in tiny shorts and oversized sunglasses? —

Christina Holevas, Vogue, 8 June 2026 For fans who want a higher-up experience, the Rooftop Cinema Club is holding screenings for Team USA’s first two group matches. —

Abby Hamblin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 June 2026

Verb

Starter Eric Lauer battles erratic fastball command and early damage yet completes six innings, while the Rays’ Nick Martinez matches him before a bullpen misstep to Rojas decides a tight opener. —

Liana Handler follow, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2026 Some war-weary Republicans were eager to endorse the agreement — if the fine print matches the administration’s summary. —

Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 15 June 2026 KeyBanc's call matches the consensus on Wall Street. —

Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 15 June 2026 This exactly matches the iOS schedule from last year, which means the iPhone release schedule is bang on target, for now at least, to mimic last year’s routine. —

David Phelan, Forbes.com, 14 June 2026 Crossing several time zones throws that internal clock out of sync, so your gut’s timing no longer matches your destination. —

Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 13 June 2026 The Gulf State country became the first host nation to lose all of its group matches four years ago. —

ABC News, 13 June 2026 Instead of combing through dozens of forecasts, users see clear guidance that matches the dates, cities, and timing of their own trip. —

Gretchen Wittenmyer-Stone, Miami Herald, 9 June 2026 The exploit works by disrupting the deletion of verdicts—a determination within the nf_tables framework that determines if a packet matches a rule calling for a certain action to be performed. —

Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 9 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for matches

Noun

Ultimately, a club like Tottenham will receive plenty of offers for summer tours from promoters or potential tournaments.

— Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 12 Dec. 2025
In addition to Air, the 2023 film about Nike’s courting of a young Michael Jordan, Convery is set to write the screenplay for The Tiger Slam, about Tiger Woods’ run of winning four consecutive major golf tournaments in 2000 and 2001.

— Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 9 Dec. 2025