as in tournament
a competitive encounter between individuals or groups carried on for amusement, exercise, or in pursuit of a prize
a boxing matchup that promises to be a sportswriter's dream
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of matchup
Up next The Trojans return to the Galen Center on Thursday to host Indiana for their first matchup this season.
—
Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 9 Feb. 2026
The Celtics entered Sunday with a one-game lead over their Atlantic Division rivals, but the Knicks dominated this matchup, building a 20-point fourth-quarter lead before C’s head coach Joe Mazzulla pulled his starters with five minutes remaining.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 8 Feb. 2026
In Inoue’s first season as head coach at UCI in 2016-17, the Gauchos won both matchups, but the Anteaters began to turn the tables the following season, splitting their conference games and then taking two of three meetings in 2018-19.
—Dan Arritt, Oc Register, 8 Feb. 2026
At the Puppy Bowl XXII’s halftime, Team Oldies will go up against Team Goldies in what promises to be an aww-inspiring matchup.
—Stacia Datskovska, HollywoodReporter, 8 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for matchup
Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 9 Feb. 2026
The Celtics entered Sunday with a one-game lead over their Atlantic Division rivals, but the Knicks dominated this matchup, building a 20-point fourth-quarter lead before C’s head coach Joe Mazzulla pulled his starters with five minutes remaining.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 8 Feb. 2026
In Inoue’s first season as head coach at UCI in 2016-17, the Gauchos won both matchups, but the Anteaters began to turn the tables the following season, splitting their conference games and then taking two of three meetings in 2018-19.
—Dan Arritt, Oc Register, 8 Feb. 2026
At the Puppy Bowl XXII’s halftime, Team Oldies will go up against Team Goldies in what promises to be an aww-inspiring matchup.
—Stacia Datskovska, HollywoodReporter, 8 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for matchup
Recent Examples of Synonyms for matchup
Noun
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Although the College Football Playoff will remain a 12-team field in 2026, the tournament's committee has unveiled postseason dates and bowl sites for the next two seasons.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
6 Feb. 2026
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In the Mission League, Sierra Canyon, Notre Dame, Crespi and Loyola earned automatic playoff berths for advancing to the league tournament semifinal.—
Tarek Fattal,
Daily News,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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For the next five years, only one game per season was played in London, with many owners skeptical about sacrificing revenue from home games in a market dominated by the Premier League.—
Tom Chitty,
CNBC,
15 Feb. 2026
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He has not been formally charged with cheating by World Curling, which does not use video to review game play.—
STEVE DOUGLAS,
Arkansas Online,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Khelif has appealed the new policy that will keep the athlete out of any competitions pending the results of genetic testing.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
6 Feb. 2026
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During the second annual competition in October, the team from La Marmotte restaurant, also located downtown, won with a concoction of Nikka Vodka, Luxardo Espresso liqueur, Irish cream, and Count Chocula and Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereals.—
Tiney Ricciardi,
Denver Post,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The event will, in particular, monitor several metrics, including motion control, dynamic balance, and impact resistance.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Feb. 2026
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Both mishaps were unfortunate events as medals have been hard to come by through the early days of the Winter Olympics.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The United States women's team had never beaten Canada in Olympic play, but after a back-and-forth match, Team USA won 9-8.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
13 Feb. 2026
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So what does that mean for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, with 75% of the soccer matches being hosted across the United States?—
Frédéric Dimanche,
Fortune,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Matchup.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/matchup. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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