Word of the Day: Match

match / mach   noun (1)  

1. a thin piece of wood with a chemical substance on the tip that produces fire when struck or scratched against a rough surface

Be sure that the candle is lit before you throw away the match. Creole Proverb     noun (2)  

1. a person or thing that is similar or equal to another

Today’s decluttering mission is to declutter lost socks, and those without a mate that have been hanging around for quite a while, waiting for their lost match. home-storage-solutions-101.com/lost-socks.html  

2. a person able to deal with another as an equal

A cloudy day is no match for a sunny disposition. William Arthur Ward, 1921-1994  

3. a corresponding pair

[…] if a teacher only teaches in one way, then they conclude that the kids who can’t learn well that way don’t have the ability, when, in fact, it may be that the way the teacher’s teaching is not a particularly good match to the way those kids learn. Robert Sternberg, 1949-  

4. a person well suited to another as a romantic partner

Great love isn’t two people finding the perfect match in one another. Great love is two people making the choice to be a match. Lysa TerKeurst, 1969-  

5. a marriage

There are many happy matches, it is true, and sometimes “my dear,” and “my love” come from the heart; but what sensible bachelor, rejoicing in his freedom and years of discretion, will run the tremendous risk? Mark Twain, 1835-1910  

6. in sports, a game or contest between two or more opponents

Only a man who knows what it is like to be defeated can reach down to the bottom of his soul and come up with the extra ounce of power it takes to win when the match is even. Muhammad Ali, 1942-2016     verb  

1. to be equal to

A fire will sear and the sun burn yet more, but neither can match the ardor of a man’s heart. Indonesian Proverb  

2. to cause to be equal or suited to; to adapt to

The chameleon changes color to match the earth, the earth doesn’t change color to match the chameleon. Senegalese Proverb  

3. to compare closely

True love is like a pair of socks: you gotta have two and they’ve gotta match. Erich Fromm, 1900-1980  

4. to provide an amount equal or complementary to

Many employers […] will match any charitable contributions or volunteer hours made by their employees. ww2.matchinggifts.com/acs  

5. to place in competition with or against

Competition is what keeps me playing the psychological warfare of matching skill against skill and wit against wit. Lou Brock, 1939-  

6. to fit together

When you’re working on fashion campaigns for a commercial brand it’s often much less experimental, but still creative in the sense that you have to match the pieces of the puzzle. Viviane Sassen, 1972-