as in tournaments
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of matchups
Polling throughout the winter had shown little difference between how the two Democrats performed in hypothetical matchups against likely Republican opponents, but some surveys suggested Talarico ran slightly stronger among independents.
—
Nik Popli, Time, 4 Mar. 2026
The Grizzlies are 18-23 in conference matchups.
—ABC News, 2 Mar. 2026
The first of those matchups set the tone for the Hawks, and the two Central Division games have increased importance.
—Kalen Lumpkins, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
Listed below are the quarterfinal matchups.
—Chip Saye, AJC.com, 2 Mar. 2026
Texas kicks off the first campaign test of the 2026 midterms as primary voters pick Democratic and Republicans nominees for the fall matchups.
—Dallas Morning News, 2 Mar. 2026
On tap are matchups against the other two teams crowding the top of the WCC standings.
—Jeff Faraudo, Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2026
Big East matchups don’t get much bigger than this one.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 24 Feb. 2026
Get ready for intense, crowd-pleasing matchups.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2026
Nik Popli, Time, 4 Mar. 2026
The Grizzlies are 18-23 in conference matchups.
—ABC News, 2 Mar. 2026
The first of those matchups set the tone for the Hawks, and the two Central Division games have increased importance.
—Kalen Lumpkins, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
Listed below are the quarterfinal matchups.
—Chip Saye, AJC.com, 2 Mar. 2026
Texas kicks off the first campaign test of the 2026 midterms as primary voters pick Democratic and Republicans nominees for the fall matchups.
—Dallas Morning News, 2 Mar. 2026
On tap are matchups against the other two teams crowding the top of the WCC standings.
—Jeff Faraudo, Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2026
Big East matchups don’t get much bigger than this one.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 24 Feb. 2026
Get ready for intense, crowd-pleasing matchups.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for matchups
Noun
-
Cathedral had several players miss its first three games because of several big club tournaments in November and early December.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Feb. 2026
-
March Madness has nearly arrived, and for UConn fans that means the Big East Conference tournaments will soon be here with both UConn teams contenders for the annual tournament titles.—
From Staff Reports,
Hartford Courant,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Florida falls to 30-26-3 and remains eight points back of the Boston Bruins for the Eastern Conference’s final wild card spot with 23 games left to play.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Seitz’s attorneys, however, argued the video supported their version of events.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Feb. 2026
-
The enforcement is unpredictable; a grower may be ordered to conduct a recall and pay fines for a situation that others face without penalty, even when no adverse health events are reported.—
Rino Ferrarese,
Hartford Courant,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In their past 15 meetings in all competitions since January 2020, Chelsea have won just once.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Pink proposed to Carey Hart at one of his competitions.—
Emma Banks,
InStyle,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Notably, the Qatar soccer federation (QFA) has postponed all tournaments and matches until further notice.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
3 Mar. 2026
-
With this result, Miami drops to 16-13 overall and 8-10 in ACC play, while Georgia Tech improves to 13-17 and matches Miami's conference record at 8-10.—
Zachary Bynum,
CBS News,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Matchups.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/matchups. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
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