To our surprise, he was defeated in the match.
Source: tatoeba (18898)
Match
/mæt͡ʃ/
Synonyms for "match" (636 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (128)
Noun(14 words)
a world-without-end bargainaccompanyaccordaccumulateadjustadmit of comparisonadventurousadversaryaffiliationagglomerateaggregateaggroupagreealignallianceamassamountamount toanalogizeanalogue
Show 82 more words
answeranswer toantagonistantiapeappear likeapproachapproximatearrange a matchassembleassentassimilateassociateassort withbalancebatchbe commensurablebe comparablebe consistentbe in phasebe in timebe likebe of onebe parallelbe redolent ofbe uniform withbear resemblancebedbelongbetrothalblendbond of matrimonybothboutbracebracketbreak evenbridebedbring into analogybring into comparisonbring to mindbring togetherbulkbump headsbunchbunch togetherbunch upcacall to mindcall upcandidatecandlecapcheckchimeclumpclustercoequalcoexistcoextendcohabitationcoherecoincidecollectcolligatecollimatecollineatecollocatecombinationcombinecome closecome nearcome tocome up tocompactcompanioncomparecompare and contrastcompare tocompare withcomparisoncompeer
Strong matches (190)
Noun(34 words)
compeercompetitioncomplementcomplementscontestcontestscoordinatecorrelatingcorrespondcounterpartcounterpartscouple for duetdovetailduelseducational tuneemulate the mastersequal forcesequallingequalsequivalent
Show 14 more words
fightsfingerprint evidencefingerprint matchfingerprintsfirestarterfitfit categoryfit the contextfitsfriction matchfulfillgamegood fitignite stick
competecompete withcompetitioncompilecomplementconconcoursconcurconformconform withconfrontconglomeratecongrevecongreve matchconjoinconjugal bondconjugal knotconjugateconsist withcontemporize
Show 113 more words
contendcontestcontractcontraposecontrapositcontrastcooperatecoordinatecopycorralcorrelatecorrespondcorrespond tocorrespondentcountercounteractcounterfeitcounterpartcounterposecouplecouple upcoupletcoverturecumulatedead ringerdecathlonderbydig updistichdittodoubledouble harnessdouble headerdouble-harnessdouble-headerdouble-teamdoublesdoubletdovetaildrawdraw a comparisondraw a paralleldraw togetherdredge updrive togetherduadduelduetduoduplicatedyadeffigyelectric light bulbencounterengagementenlargeequalequateequidistanceequipollentequivalenteveneven offeventevokeexact likenessfacefacsimilefall in togetherfavorfellowfightfirefitfit togetherfixtureflamefollowfoursomefriction matchfrontfuseegamegamesgames of chancegathergather ingather togethergaugeget inget togethergive awaygive in kindglimgogo alongsidego besidego togethergo withgradegraduategroupgymkhanahang togetherharmonizehithitchhold togetherholy matrimonyholy wedlockhusbandhoodiconidol
Verb(21 words)
complementedcomportsconcurredconformedconformscorrespondcorrespondedcorrespondscouplecouple togethercoupledequalequaledequaliseequalizeequalledequatefitfittedgibe
Show 1 more word
go biological process
Adjective(2 words)
correspondingequal counts
Related words (318)
ill-assorted marriageilluminantilluminatorimageimitateincandescent bodyinterlockintermarriageinterracial marriageintersectisochronizejibejoinjoin togetherjoustjuxtaposekeep in stepkeep pace withknotlamp
Show 222 more words
lanternlex talionislie oppositelightlight bulblight sourcelikelikenliken tolikenessline uplinkliving imageliving picturelocklocofocolook likeluciferluminantluminarylump togethermake a matchmake onemake upmarriagemarriage bedmarriage sacramentmarrymassmatch up withmatchingmatematesmatrimonial unionmatrimonymeasuremeasure againstmeasure upmeasure up tomeetmeet head onmeet head-onmeetingmesalliancemeshmetaphorizemimicminiaturemirrormirroringmisalliancemiscegenationmixed marriagemobilizemodelmoonmusternearnearly reproducenot compare withnot tell apartnuptialnuptial bondolympic gamesolympicsopponentopposeopposeropposite numberoppugnantoverlappairpair offparagonparallelparallelizepartake ofpartnerpartnershippeerpentathlonphotographpicturepitpit againstplace againstplace parallel toplayplay-offpolarizeportraitpose againstproportionprospectput in oppositionput togetherraceraiserake uprallyrangerankreachrealignreciprocalreciprocatereflectionregisterregister withrelateremind one ofrencontrerepay in kindreplicareproduceresemblanceresemblerespond toreturn the complimentreturn the likerivalrivalryround uprubbingrun a comparisonrun abreastrun parallelrun torunningrunoffsacrament of matrimonysafety matchsavor ofscrape togetherseemseem likesemblanceset in contrastset in oppositionset of twoset offset off againstset over againstshadowsimilitudesimilizesimulacrumsimulatesing in chorussinglessizesmack ofsortsort withsound likesource of lightspanspit and imagespitting imagesplicesportspousehoodsquaresquare withstack upstack up withstand opposedstand oppositestand togetherstarstarsstrugglesubtendsuggestsuitsunsupplementsynchronizetake aftertake uptallytaperteamteam uptestthe twothreesometietilttimetorchtouchtournamenttourneytracetracingtrialtwaintwintwotwosomeunionuniteunite in marriagevery imagevery picturevestavesuvianvievie withview togetherwedwedded blisswedded stateweddednesswedding knotwedlockweighweigh againstwhip inwifehoodyoke
Noun(44 words)
Verb(29 words)
Adjective(3 words)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: couple, equal, a world-without-end bargain, accompany, accord.
- Sentence evidence is available for match, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, moby, derived_reverse, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "match".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "match"
Keep "match" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "match" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "match", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "match" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
50 entriesShowing 16 of 50 words.
More specific
17 entriesaligncomplementcomplyconformcounterpartcouplefootball matchlighting matchmatching exercisematching taskmatching worksheetpairpartnerqualifysafety matchsatisfy
Showing 16 of 17 words.
Collocations
9 entriesclose matchexact matchfootball matchgood matchmatchboxmatchstickperfect matchstrong matchtennis match
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
9 entriessimilar
20 entriesShowing 16 of 20 words.
Sample sentences
38 total sentences available.
As I entered the café, I found two young men watching a wrestling match on television.
Source: tatoeba (19916)
As I entered a tearoom, I found two young men watching a wrestling match on television.
Source: tatoeba (19917)
I am no match for him in diplomatic shrewdness.
Source: tatoeba (21966)
Showing 4 of 38 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "match"?
Closest matches include couple, equal, a world-without-end bargain, accompany, accord.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "match"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.