# match

Pronunciation: say "MACH" /mæt͡ʃ/

## Noun

1. A contest or trial of strength or skill between opponents, held to determine who is superior.
   - Simple: A contest between two sides to see who is stronger or better.
   - _Thousands of fans packed the stadium for the football match._
   - _She won the tennis match in straight sets._
3. A short stick of wood or cardboard tipped with a chemical that ignites from friction when struck against a rough, dry surface.
   - Simple: A small stick with a tip that catches fire when you rub it on a rough surface.
   - _He cupped his hands around the match to shield the flame from the wind._
   - _A single match was enough to set the dry brush ablaze._
6. A person or thing that suits or fits well with another, or the degree to which they suit each other.
   - Simple: Someone or something that goes well with another, or how well they fit.
   - _The oak desk and the leather chair made a handsome match._
   - _In terms of temperament, the two dogs were a poor match._
7. The condition of being equivalent or in correspondence, where one thing answers exactly to another.
   - Simple: A state where two things are the same or fit together.
   - _Investigators reported a clear match between the sample and the suspect's profile._
   - _The software searches the database for a match to each entry._
8. A marriage, or a person regarded as a suitable partner to marry.
   - Simple: A marriage, or a good person to marry.
   - _With his fortune and title, he was the most eligible match in the county._
   - _Her mother hoped she would find a suitable match before long._
10. A person whose ability or strength equals or surpasses that of another in a given respect.
   - Simple: A person who is as good as or better than someone else at something.
   - _She met her match when the new debater took the stage._
   - _For sheer stubbornness, the toddler was more than a match for both parents._
11. Equality of conditions between the sides taking part in a contest or competition.
   - Simple: Equal strength or chances between sides in a game or contest.
   - _Identical bikes for every rider make for an equal match, so only skill decides the race._
   - _Golf handicaps exist to turn a round between a beginner and an expert into a fair match._

## Verb

2. To be the same as or correspond to something, or to agree or go well together, as in 'the accounts match' or 'her shoes match her bag'.
   - Simple: To be the same as something, or to look good or fit together.
   - _The witness's account matched the security footage in every detail._
   - _The name on your ticket must match your passport exactly._
4. To bring two people, things, or sides together into a successful pairing.
   - Simple: To bring two people or things together so they suit each other well.
   - _The dating app matches users based on shared interests and values._
   - _A skilled sommelier can match each course with the right wine._
5. To equal someone or something else in a particular quality or achievement.
   - Simple: To do as well as someone or something else.
   - _Few modern sprinters can match the times he set in the 1980s._
   - _The sequel never quite matched the success of the original film._
9. To fit or satisfy a rule or pattern, as a string of text does when it follows a regular expression.
   - Simple: To fit a search pattern or rule used to look through text.
   - _The input string matches the regular expression for valid email addresses._
   - _Patterns like '\d+' match any sequence of digits._
12. To fit pieces together, or shape them for fitting; especially, to cut a tongue and groove along their edges so they join.
   - Simple: To fit pieces together neatly, or to shape their edges so they lock into place.
   - _Skilled joiners match the boards so no gaps show in the finished floor._
   - _The carpenter matched the pine boards, cutting a tongue on one edge and a groove on the other._

## Noun

13. An agreement or compact settled between parties, binding them to its terms. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: An agreement or deal made between two or more people.

## Verb

14. To unite two people in marriage, or to pair them as mates. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To join a man and woman together in marriage.

## Other meanings

- (noun) A perforated board or block of plaster or hardened sand that partly holds a pattern when a mold is made, shaping the surfaces where the mold's parts separate.

## Origin

**Meanings 1, 6–8, 10–11, 13** — Old English mæċċa or ġemæċċa, meaning a "mate, companion, wife, one suited to another," became Middle English macche. The line runs back through Proto-West Germanic and Proto-Germanic, perhaps to *mag- ("to knead, work") in Proto-Indo-European. Danish mage ("mate") and Icelandic maki ("spouse") are related.
**Meanings 2, 4–5, 9, 12, 14** — This verb was formed from the noun. In Middle English it was macchen, meaning "to marry" or "to be paired with."
**Meaning 3** — The Middle English word macche ("wick of a candle") came from Old French mesche, which goes back to Vulgar Latin micca (compare Spanish mecha, Italian miccia). That form is probably from myxa, a Latin word for a "nozzle, curved part of a lamp," which came in turn from the Ancient Greek μύξα (múxa), "lamp wick."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/match (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).