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
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Recent Examples of matchups
The Jayhawks are well aware of that, having played some tough matchups against the Mountaineers over the years.
—
Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 10 Jan. 2026
Of the three potential playoff matchups Carolina could have gotten against NFC West teams, this one is the most winnable.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 10 Jan. 2026
After the wild-card round, the matchups are determined by the lowest remaining seeds traveling on the road to face the teams with a higher seed.
—Tom Ignudo, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
From Saturday through Monday, playoff teams will face win-or-go-home matchups across multiple networks and streaming platforms.
—Julianna Duennes Russ, Austin American Statesman, 9 Jan. 2026
His return would yield middling results — the Dolphins went 5-4 but lost key matchups to the Green Bay Packers and Houston Texans — before he once again was injured, this time with a hip.
—Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2026
Indiana and Oregon will meet in the College Football Playoff semifinals in one of the most significant QB matchups in years.
—Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 8 Jan. 2026
Virgil finished as the leading receiver in both BYU matchups.
—Ty Kaplan, Dallas Morning News, 8 Jan. 2026
And that doesn't even include their matchups against nuisances like Iowa and Nebraska (and of course Michigan in the season finale).
—Matthew Schmidt, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 10 Jan. 2026
Of the three potential playoff matchups Carolina could have gotten against NFC West teams, this one is the most winnable.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 10 Jan. 2026
After the wild-card round, the matchups are determined by the lowest remaining seeds traveling on the road to face the teams with a higher seed.
—Tom Ignudo, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
From Saturday through Monday, playoff teams will face win-or-go-home matchups across multiple networks and streaming platforms.
—Julianna Duennes Russ, Austin American Statesman, 9 Jan. 2026
His return would yield middling results — the Dolphins went 5-4 but lost key matchups to the Green Bay Packers and Houston Texans — before he once again was injured, this time with a hip.
—Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2026
Indiana and Oregon will meet in the College Football Playoff semifinals in one of the most significant QB matchups in years.
—Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 8 Jan. 2026
Virgil finished as the leading receiver in both BYU matchups.
—Ty Kaplan, Dallas Morning News, 8 Jan. 2026
And that doesn't even include their matchups against nuisances like Iowa and Nebraska (and of course Michigan in the season finale).
—Matthew Schmidt, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for matchups
Noun
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And in between, there are ample other events, tournaments and series that fashion should be watching.—
Madeleine Schulz,
Vogue,
13 Jan. 2026
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So, before each day of training, not in Monte Carlo or Barcelona where tournaments were happening but back home in Florida, Echevarria and Shelton’s father would talk about what movement to focus on.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Purdy missed eight of the first 10 games with a toe injury, Kittle was out six with hamstring and ankle injuries, and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk went AWOL after a 2024 knee injury.—
Cam Inman,
Mercury News,
12 Jan. 2026
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Though the Heat is returning home for three games, Miami won’t be heavily favored to win any of them.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
And in between, there are ample other events, tournaments and series that fashion should be watching.—
Madeleine Schulz,
Vogue,
13 Jan. 2026
-
And events are designed around physiological reality.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
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De Laurentiis took all the chaos in stride and was the expert judge for the cooking portion of the outrageous lineup of competitions.—
Moná Thomas,
PEOPLE,
9 Jan. 2026
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The Midwest's best winter fests include big-city ice-carving competitions as well as cozy small-town gatherings.—
Ginger Crichton,
Midwest Living,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The county has worked for months with UCSD and Scripps researchers to absorb the protocols created by local researchers, gradually fine-tuning models so that the data that the county’s process creates matches with what has already been collected and published by the research effort.—
Paul Sisson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Jan. 2026
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The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is playing host to nine World Cup matches between early June and mid-July.—
Josh Roberts,
USA Today,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Matchups.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/matchups. Accessed 21 Jan. 2026.
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