match

noun

/mætʃ/

Idioms

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in sport

[countable] (especially British English) a sports event where people or teams compete against each other

(British English) a football match
(North American English, British English) a tennis match
a league match
They are playing an important match against Liverpool on Saturday.
to win/lose a match
I'll probably watch the match on TV.
Dublin took on Toulouse in their opening match of the European Cup.
Ireland took the match (= won) 2–1 .

see also return match, shooting match, shouting match, slanging match, Test match

Wordfinder

athlete
champion
compete
fixture
match
record
spectator
sport
stadium
tournament

Extra Examples

Figo had an outstanding match.
He almost made it to the final match.
He's such a keen fan, he even goes to all the away matches.
Lubov fought back to tie the match.
She was injured in last week's match.
The match will be played in the new stadium.
The team had an excellent match.
They lost their match with Estonia.
They managed to level the match, then went 2–1 ahead.
He played more than 40 matches for England.
This will be his first competitive match in charge of the team.

Topics Sports: ball and racket sportsa1

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

boxing
chess
football
…

verb + match

play
have
go to
…

match + verb

take place

preposition

during a/the match
in a/the match
match against
…

See full entry

an equal

[singular] a person who is equal to somebody else in strength, skill, intelligence, etc.

a/no match for somebody (at something) I was no match for him at tennis.
We should be a match for most teams.
somebody’s match (at something) I was his match at tennis.

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

excellent
good
perfect
…

verb + match

find
make

preposition

match between
match for

phrases

meet your match
the right match

See full entry

somebody/something that combines well

[singular] a person or thing that combines well with somebody/something else

The curtains and carpet are a good match.
a… match for somebody Jo and Ian are a perfect match for each other.
a… match between A and B an excellent match between our goals and what your company offers

Extra Examples

Our job is to find the right match for our clients.
You need to feel confident that the candidate is the right match.
That jumper should be a good match for your trousers.
The blouse and skirt are a perfect match.

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

excellent
good
perfect
…

verb + match

find
make

preposition

match between
match for

phrases

meet your match
the right match

See full entry

something the same

[countable] a thing that is or looks exactly the same as or very similar to something else

I've found a vase that is an exact match of the one I broke.
This paint is a close enough colour match to the original.

She has a rare blood type, and finding a match could take years.
To forge the certificate, she needed an exact match for the paper and the fonts.

Topics Opinion and argumentc1

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

exact

verb + match

find

preposition

match for

See full entry

for lighting fires

[countable] a small stick made of wood or cardboard that is used for lighting a fire, cigarette, etc.

a box of matches
to strike a match (= to make it burn)
to put a match to something (= set fire to something)
If you suspect a gas leak do not strike a match or use electricity.
He took all her letters into the yard and put a match to them.
He lit a match so they could see in the cave.

marriage

[countable] (old-fashioned) a marriage or a marriage partner

He was determined that his daughter should make a good match (= find a suitable husband).

match

verb

/mætʃ/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they match	/mætʃ/ /mætʃ/
he / she / it matches	/ˈmætʃɪz/ /ˈmætʃɪz/
past simple matched	/mætʃt/ /mætʃt/
past participle matched	/mætʃt/ /mætʃt/
-ing form matching	/ˈmætʃɪŋ/ /ˈmætʃɪŋ/

Idioms Phrasal Verbs

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find something similar/connected

[transitive] to find somebody/something that goes together with or is connected with another person or thing

match A and B Match the words and pictures.
match A to/with B The aim of the competition is to match the quote to the person who said it.
The agency tries to match single people with suitable partners.
match somebody/something for something The control group in the experiment was matched for age and sex.

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb

carefully
correctly
up
…

verb + match

seek to
try to

preposition

for
to
with
…

See full entry

be the same

[transitive, intransitive] match (something) if two things match or if one thing matches another, they are the same or very similar

Her fingerprints match those found at the scene of the crime.
A man matching his description was seen running from a car.
As a couple they are not very well matched (= they are not very suitable for each other).
The two sets of figures don't match.

Extra Examples

The dark clouds matched her mood.
Make sure the number of items in your cart matches the number of items on the receipt.
Police asked anyone who saw a woman matching her description to come forward.
The chance of matching all five numbers and winning the jackpot is about 1 in 175 million.
Children can be made to suffer when they fail to match their parents' expectations.
Her lovers rarely match her wit and intelligence.
No other rock band comes even close to matching them for dynamism or style.
Nothing quite matches the fine, subtle flavour of this cheese.
She found that his determination almost matched her own.
The landscape in Claude's painting matches the description in Virgil's Aeneid.

Topics Opinion and argumenta2

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb

well
nicely
perfectly
…

phrases

to match

See full entry

combine well

[transitive, intransitive] if two things match, or if one thing matches another, they have the same colour, pattern, or style and therefore look attractive together

match (something) Her dark hair matched the colour of her eyes.
None of these glasses match (= they are all different).
to match (something) The doors were painted blue to match the walls.
I've got her a scarf with gloves to match.

be equal/better

[transitive] match somebody/something to be as good, interesting, successful, etc. as somebody/something else synonym equal

The profits made in the first year have never been matched.
Job opportunities in the industry do not match the level of interest.
The teams were evenly matched.

Extra Examples

Her anger was only matched by her frustration.
The teams were very evenly matched.
He has now proved he can match anyone at the highest level of the sport.
His anger was matched only by her frustration.
The two firms are quite closely matched in terms of size and profitability

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb

almost
nearly
not quite
…

verb + match

be able to
be unable to
try to
…

preposition

phrases

come close to matching
be equally matched
be evenly matched
…

See full entry

[transitive] match something to make something the same as or better than something else

The company was unable to match his current salary.
They have reduced all their stock by 10% to match competitors’ prices.

Extra Examples

The firm was unable to match the salaries offered by their rivals.
The company can't match the performance of its American rivals.

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb

almost
nearly
not quite
…

verb + match

be able to
be unable to
try to
…

preposition

phrases

come close to matching
be equally matched
be evenly matched
…

See full entry

provide something suitable

[transitive] match something to provide something that is suitable for or enough for a particular situation

Investment in hospitals is needed now to match the future needs of the country.

Extra Examples

The available organs are carefully matched to people in need of transplants.
The music perfectly matches the tone of the movie.

Word Originverb Old English gemæcca ‘mate, companion’, of West Germanic origin; related to the base of make.

Idioms

answer/fit/match a description (of somebody/something)

to be like a particular person or thing
- Police have arrested two men matching the descriptions of the robbers.

mix and match

to combine things in different ways for different purposes
- You can mix and match courses to suit your requirements.
More Like This Alliteration in idioms
Alliteration in idioms
- belt and braces
- black and blue
- born and bred
- chalk and cheese
- chop and change
- done and dusted
- down and dirty
- in dribs and drabs
- eat somebody out of house and home
- facts and figures
- fast and furious
- first and foremost
- forgive and forget
- hale and hearty
- hem and haw
- kith and kin
- mix and match
- part and parcel
- puff and pant
- to rack and ruin
- rant and rave
- risk life and limb
- short and sweet
- signed and sealed
- spic and span
- through thick and thin
- this and that
- top and tail
- tried and tested
- wax and wane