match

match
    n 1: lighter consisting of a thin piece of wood or cardboard
         tipped with combustible chemical; ignites with friction;
         "he always carries matches to light his pipe"; "as long
         you've a lucifer to light your fag" [syn: {match},
         {lucifer}, {friction match}]
    2: a formal contest in which two or more persons or teams
       compete
    3: a burning piece of wood or cardboard; "if you drop a match in
       there the whole place will explode"
    4: an exact duplicate; "when a match is found an entry is made
       in the notebook" [syn: {match}, {mate}]
    5: the score needed to win a match
    6: a person regarded as a good matrimonial prospect [syn:
       {catch}, {match}]
    7: a person who is of equal standing with another in a group
       [syn: {peer}, {equal}, {match}, {compeer}]
    8: a pair of people who live together; "a married couple from
       Chicago" [syn: {couple}, {mates}, {match}]
    9: something that resembles or harmonizes with; "that tie makes
       a good match with your jacket"
    v 1: be compatible, similar or consistent; coincide in their
         characteristics; "The two stories don't agree in many
         details"; "The handwriting checks with the signature on the
         check"; "The suspect's fingerprints don't match those on
         the gun" [syn: {match}, {fit}, {correspond}, {check},
         {jibe}, {gibe}, {tally}, {agree}] [ant: {disaccord},
         {disagree}, {discord}]
    2: provide funds complementary to; "The company matched the
       employees' contributions"
    3: bring two objects, ideas, or people together; "This fact is
       coupled to the other one"; "Matchmaker, can you match my
       daughter with a nice young man?"; "The student was paired
       with a partner for collaboration on the project" [syn:
       {match}, {mate}, {couple}, {pair}, {twin}]
    4: be equal to in quality or ability; "Nothing can rival cotton
       for durability"; "Your performance doesn't even touch that of
       your colleagues"; "Her persistence and ambition only matches
       that of her parents" [syn: {equal}, {touch}, {rival},
       {match}]
    5: make correspond or harmonize; "Match my sweater" [syn:
       {match}, {fit}]
    6: satisfy or fulfill; "meet a need"; "this job doesn't match my
       dreams" [syn: {meet}, {match}, {cope with}]
    7: give or join in marriage
    8: set into opposition or rivalry; "let them match their best
       athletes against ours"; "pit a chess player against the
       Russian champion"; "He plays his two children off against
       each other" [syn: {pit}, {oppose}, {match}, {play off}]
    9: be equal or harmonize; "The two pieces match"
    10: make equal, uniform, corresponding, or matching; "let's
        equalize the duties among all employees in this office";
        "The company matched the discount policy of its competitors"
        [syn: {equal}, {match}, {equalize}, {equalise}, {equate}]
    

Match \Match\, n. [OE. macche, AS. gemaecca; akin to gemaca, and
   to OS. gimako, OHG. gimah fitting, suitable, convenient,
   Icel. mark suitable, maki mate, Sw. make, Dan. mage; all from
   the root of E. make, v. See {Make} mate, and {Make}, v., and
   cf. {Mate} an associate.]
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   1. A person or thing equal or similar to another; one able to
      mate or cope with another; an equal; a mate.
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            Government . . . makes an innocent man, though of
            the lowest rank, a match for the mightiest of his
            fellow subjects.                      --Addison.
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   2. A bringing together of two parties suited to one another,
      as for a union, a trial of skill or force, a contest, or
      the like; specifically:
      (a) A contest to try strength or skill, or to determine
          superiority; a sporting contest; an emulous struggle.
          "Many a warlike match." --Drayton.
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                A solemn match was made; he lost the prize.
                                                  --Dryden.
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      (b) A matrimonial union; a marriage.
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   3. An agreement, compact, etc. "Thy hand upon that match."
      --Shak.
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            Love doth seldom suffer itself to be confined by
            other matches than those of its own making. --Boyle.
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   4. A candidate for matrimony; one to be gained in marriage.
      "She . . . was looked upon as the richest match of the
      West." --Clarendon.
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   5. Equality of conditions in contest or competition, or one
      who provides equal competition to another in a contest;
      as, he had no match as a swordsman within the city.
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            It were no match, your nail against his horn.
                                                  --Shak.
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   6. Suitable combination or bringing together; that which
      corresponds or harmonizes with something else; as, the
      carpet and curtains are a match.
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   7. (Founding) A perforated board, block of plaster, hardened
      sand, etc., in which a pattern is partly imbedded when a
      mold is made, for giving shape to the surfaces of
      separation between the parts of the mold.
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   {Match boarding} (Carp.), boards fitted together with tongue
      and groove, or prepared to be so fitted; a surface
      composed of match boarding. See {matchboard}.

   {Match game}, a game arranged as a test of superiority.

   {Match plane} (Carp.), either of the two planes used to shape
      the edges of boards which are joined by grooving and
      tonguing.

   {Match plate} (Founding), a board or plate on the opposite
      sides of which the halves of a pattern are fastened, to
      facilitate molding. --Knight.

   {Match wheel} (Mach.), a cogwheel of suitable pitch to work
      with another wheel; specifically, one of a pair of
      cogwheels of equal size.
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Match \Match\ (m[a^]ch), n. [OE. macche, F. m[`e]che, F.
   m[`e]che, fr. L. myxa a lamp nozzle, Gr. my`xa mucus,
   nostril, a lamp nozzle. Cf. {Mucus}.]
   Anything used for catching and retaining or communicating
   fire, made of some substance which takes fire readily, or
   remains burning some time; esp., a small strip or splint of
   wood or cardboard dipped at one end in a substance which can
   be easily ignited by friction, as a preparation of phosphorus
   or chlorate of potassium.
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   {Match tub}, a tub with a perforated cover for holding slow
      matches for firing cannon, esp. on board ship. The tub
      contains a little water in the bottom, for extinguishing
      sparks from the lighted matches.

   {Quick match}, threads of cotton or cotton wick soaked in a
      solution of gunpowder mixed with gum arabic and boiling
      water and afterwards strewed over with mealed powder. It
      burns at the rate of one yard in thirteen seconds, and is
      used as priming for heavy mortars, fireworks, etc.

   {Slow match}, slightly twisted hempen rope soaked in a
      solution of limewater and saltpeter or washed in a lye of
      water and wood ashes. It burns at the rate of four or five
      inches an hour, and is used for firing cannon, fireworks,
      etc.
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Match \Match\, v. i.
   1. To be united in marriage; to mate.
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            I hold it a sin to match in my kindred. --Shak.
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            Let tigers match with hinds, and wolves with sheep.
                                                  --Dryden.
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   2. To be of equal, or similar, size, figure, color, or
      quality; to tally; to suit; to correspond; as, these vases
      match.
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Match \Match\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Matched}; p. pr. & vb. n.
   {Matching}.]
   1. To be a mate or match for; to be able to complete with; to
      rival successfully; to equal.
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            No settled senses of the world can match
            The pleasure of that madness.         --Shak.
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   2. To furnish with its match; to bring a match, or equal,
      against; to show an equal competitor to; to set something
      in competition with, or in opposition to, as equal.
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            No history or antiquity can matchis policies and his
            conduct.                              --South.
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   3. To oppose as equal; to contend successfully against.
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            Eternal might
            To match with their inventions they presumed
            So easy, and of his thunder made a scorn. --Milton.
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   4. To make or procure the equal of, or that which is exactly
      similar to, or corresponds with; as, to match a vase or a
      horse; to match cloth. "Matching of patterns and colors."
      --Swift.
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   5. To make equal, proportionate, or suitable; to adapt, fit,
      or suit (one thing to another).
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            Let poets match their subject to their strength.
                                                  --Roscommon.
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   6. To marry; to give in marriage.
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            A senator of Rome survived,
            Would not have matched his daughter with a king.
                                                  --Addison.
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   7. To fit together, or make suitable for fitting together;
      specifically, to furnish with a tongue and a groove, at
      the edges; as, to match boards.
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   {Matching machine}, a planing machine for forming a tongue or
      a groove on the edge of a board.
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Consolation game \Con`so*la"tion game\, match \match\, pot
\pot\, race \race\, etc.
   A game, match, etc., open only to losers in early stages of
   contests.
   [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
    

456 Moby Thesaurus words for "match":
      Congreve, Congreve match, Olympic games, Olympics,
      a world-without-end bargain, accompany, accord, accumulate, adjust,
      admit of comparison, adversary, affiliation, agglomerate,
      aggregate, aggroup, agree, align, alliance, amass, amount to,
      analogize, analogue, answer to, antagonist, anti, ape, appear like,
      approach, approximate, arrange a match, assemble, assent,
      assimilate, assort with, balance, batch, be commensurable,
      be comparable, be consistent, be in phase, be in time, be like,
      be of one, be parallel, be redolent of, be uniform with,
      bear resemblance, bed, betrothal, blend, bond of matrimony, both,
      bout, brace, bracket, break even, bridebed, bring into analogy,
      bring into comparison, bring to mind, bring together, bulk,
      bump heads, bunch, bunch together, bunch up, ca, call to mind,
      call up, candidate, candle, check, chime, clump, cluster, coequal,
      coexist, coextend, cohabitation, cohere, coincide, collect,
      colligate, collimate, collineate, collocate, combination, combine,
      come close, come near, come to, come up to, compact, companion,
      compare, compare and contrast, compare to, compare with, compeer,
      compete with, competition, compile, complement, con, concours,
      concur, conform, conform with, confront, conglomerate, conjoin,
      conjugal bond, conjugal knot, conjugate, consist with,
      contemporize, contend, contest, contract, contrapose, contraposit,
      contrast, cooperate, coordinate, copy, corral, correlate,
      correspond, correspond to, correspondent, counter, counteract,
      counterfeit, counterpart, counterpose, couple, couple up, couplet,
      coverture, cumulate, dead ringer, decathlon, derby, dig up,
      distich, ditto, double, double harness, double-harness,
      double-header, double-team, doubles, doublet, dovetail, draw,
      draw a comparison, draw a parallel, draw together, dredge up,
      drive together, duad, duel, duet, duo, duplicate, dyad, effigy,
      electric light bulb, encounter, engagement, enlarge, equal, equate,
      equidistance, equipollent, equivalent, even, even off, event,
      evoke, exact likeness, face, facsimile, fall in together, favor,
      fellow, fight, fire, fit, fit together, flame, follow, foursome,
      friction match, front, fusee, game, games, games of chance, gather,
      gather in, gather together, gauge, get in, get together, give away,
      give in kind, glim, go, go alongside, go beside, go together,
      go with, grade, graduate, group, gymkhana, hang together,
      harmonize, hit, hitch, hold together, holy matrimony, holy wedlock,
      husbandhood, icon, idol, ill-assorted marriage, illuminant,
      illuminator, image, imitate, incandescent body, interlock,
      intermarriage, interracial marriage, intersect, isochronize, jibe,
      join, join together, joust, juxtapose, keep in step,
      keep pace with, knot, lamp, lantern, lex talionis, lie opposite,
      light, light bulb, light source, like, liken, liken to, likeness,
      line up, link, living image, living picture, lock, locofoco,
      look like, lucifer, luminant, luminary, lump together,
      make a match, make one, make up, marriage, marriage bed,
      marriage sacrament, marry, mass, match up with, matching, mate,
      mates, matrimonial union, matrimony, measure, measure against,
      measure up, measure up to, meet, meet head-on, meeting,
      mesalliance, metaphorize, mimic, miniature, mirror, mirroring,
      misalliance, miscegenation, mixed marriage, mobilize, model, moon,
      muster, near, nearly reproduce, not compare with, not tell apart,
      nuptial, nuptial bond, oppose, opposer, opposite number, oppugnant,
      overlap, pair, pair off, paragon, parallel, parallelize,
      partake of, partner, partnership, peer, pentathlon, photograph,
      picture, pit, place against, place parallel to, play, play-off,
      polarize, portrait, pose against, proportion, prospect,
      put in opposition, put together, race, raise, rake up, rally,
      range, rank, reach, realign, reciprocal, reflection, register,
      register with, relate, remind one of, rencontre, repay in kind,
      replica, resemblance, resemble, respond to, return the compliment,
      return the like, rival, rivalry, round up, rubbing,
      run a comparison, run abreast, run parallel, run to, runoff,
      sacrament of matrimony, safety match, savor of, scrape together,
      seem like, semblance, set in contrast, set in opposition,
      set of two, set off against, set over against, shadow, similitude,
      similize, simulacrum, simulate, sing in chorus, singles, size,
      smack of, sort, sort with, sound like, source of light, span,
      spit and image, spitting image, splice, sport, spousehood, square,
      square with, stack up, stack up with, stand opposed,
      stand opposite, stand together, stars, subtend, suggest, suit, sun,
      supplement, synchronize, take after, take up, tally, taper, team,
      team up, test, the two, threesome, tie, tilt, time, torch, touch,
      tournament, tourney, trace, tracing, trial, twain, twin, two,
      twosome, union, unite, unite in marriage, very image, very picture,
      vesta, vesuvian, vie, vie with, view together, wed, wedded bliss,
      wedded state, weddedness, wedding knot, wedlock, weigh,
      weigh against, whip in, wifehood, yoke