- match
- {{Roman}}I.{{/Roman}} noun1 (esp. BrE) in sportsADJECTIVE▪ boxing (BrE, AmE), chess (BrE, AmE), football (BrE), rugby (BrE), soccer (usually football match in BrE and soccer game in AmE), tennis (BrE, AmE), wrestling (BrE, AmE), etc.▪ final, quarter-final, semi-final▪
He almost made it to the final match.
▪ friendly (= not part of a competition) (BrE)▪ away, home (both BrE)▪Some fans travel miles to go to away matches.
▪ grudge▪a grudge match between two of the best teams in the league
▪ big, crucial, important▪ exciting, thrilling▪ title▪ championship, competitive, cup (BrE), league (BrE)▪ sparring▪We were just having a little verbal sparring match. (figurative)
▪ screaming, shouting (figurative)▪The two of them then got into a shouting match (= an argument with a lot of shouting).
VERB + MATCH▪ play▪The match will be played in the new stadium.
▪ have▪The team had an excellent match.
▪ go to, see, watch▪ be defeated in, lose▪ clinch, win▪A late goal clinched the match for Porto.
▪ draw (BrE), tie (AmE)▪We drew our first match of the season 1–1.
▪Lubov fought back to tie the match.
▪ level (esp. BrE)▪They managed to level the match, then went 2–1 ahead.
MATCH + VERB▪ take placePREPOSITION▪ during a/the match▪an incident which took place during Saturday's match
▪ in a/the match▪She was injured in last week's match.
▪ match against▪the match against Wales
▪ match between▪the match between Japan and Brazil
▪ match with▪They lost their match with Estonia.
2 for lighting a fireADJECTIVE▪ lighted, lit (esp. AmE)… OF MATCHES▪ book, boxVERB + MATCH▪ light, strike▪He lit a match so they could see in the cave.
▪ blow outPHRASES▪ put a match to sth▪Someone had put a match to the pile of papers.
3 good combinationADJECTIVE▪ excellent, good, perfect▪The blouse and skirt are a perfect match.
▪Freddie and Kate are a perfect match.
VERB + MATCH▪ find, make▪Our job is to find the right match for our clients.
▪This fabric makes a good match for the wallpaper.
PREPOSITION▪ match between▪an excellent match between our goals and what your company offers
▪ match for▪That sweater should be a good match for your skirt.
PHRASES▪ meet your match (= meet someone equally good, strong, etc.)▪I think he's finally met his match in Lisa.
▪ the right match▪You need to feel confident that the candidate is the right match.
4 sth the sameADJECTIVE▪ exactVERB + MATCH▪ find▪She has a rare blood type, and finding a match could take years.
PREPOSITION▪ match for▪{{Roman}}II.{{/Roman}}To forge the certificate, she needed an exact match for the paper and the fonts.
verb1 combine well with sb/sthADVERB▪ well▪As a couple they are not very well matched (= they are not very suitable for each other).
▪ nicely, perfectly▪The music perfectly matches the tone of the movie.
▪ exactly, precisely▪They found a paint that exactly matched the existing paint on the walls.
▪ closely▪He chose wine that closely matched each dish.
▪The students' results closely matched their predicted scores.
▪ not quite▪The room was full of old furniture that didn't quite match.
PHRASES▪ to match▪I bought a duvet cover and some curtains to match.
2 find sth similar/connectedADVERB▪ carefully▪ correctly▪ up▪We have to match up the right pet with the right owner.
VERB + MATCH▪ seek to, try toPREPOSITION▪ for▪The control group in the experiment was matched for age and sex.
▪ to▪The aim of the competition is to match the quote to the person who said it.
▪The available organs are carefully matched to people in need of transplants.
▪ with▪The agency tries to match single people with suitable partners.
3 be/make sth equal/betterADVERB▪ almost, nearly▪She found that his determination almost matched her own.
▪ not quite▪Nothing quite matches the fine, subtle taste of this cheese.
▪ rarely▪Her lovers rarely match her wit and intelligence.
VERB + MATCH▪ be able to, be unable to▪The company was unable to match his current salary.
▪ try to▪ fail to▪Children can be made to suffer when they fail to match their parents' expectations.
PREPOSITION▪ for▪No other rock band comes even close to matching their talent.
PHRASES▪ come close to matching▪ be equally matched, be evenly matched, be well matched▪The teams were very evenly matched.
▪ be unevenly matchedMatch is used with these nouns as the subject: ↑colourMatch is used with these nouns as the object: ↑background, ↑colour, ↑description, ↑dress, ↑expectation, ↑feat, ↑fingerprint, ↑finish, ↑mood, ↑offer, ↑pair, ↑personality, ↑profile, ↑prowess, ↑record, ↑requirement, ↑scale, ↑size, ↑skill, ↑splendour, ↑stride, ↑taste, ↑tone, ↑wit
Collocations dictionary. 2013.
