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Glite Dictionary
match-up

match-up

28 3.8
An event that pairs two sides, like sports teams, to compete
  • noun
  • /ˈmæʧˌʌp/
: enfrentamiento
  • But that should be a great match-up.
  • hypothetical match-up
  • match-up of the season
  • interesting match-up

The latest Pennsylvania puts Trump up one in a hypothetical match up against Kamala Harris.

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Examples

  • We will break down the first match-ups on Monday and continue rolling them out until we have a champion.

    Blog text (2)

  • But the real story today is the match-up between the Bullet and old team-mate Dodge Connelly.

    Leatherheads (2008)

  • The game of football, especially at the professional level, is about match-ups and being able to take advantage of them.

    Blog text (3)

  • This is polling a Trump versus Biden match up in the key swing states.

  • "The action starts Saturday with college ball "and our first match-up is Michigan against Indiana.

    Two for the Money (2005)

  • Women's mixed martial arts, and this is certainly an historic match-up.

    Bruised (2021)

  • There are loads of intriguing match-ups, and there will surely be a few surprises.

    Blog text (11)

  • Manning vs. RGIII will be the best match-up in the NFC for years.

    Blog text (10)

  • Welcome to today's match-up between Bates Bulldogs and the Carlin Devils.

    The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999)

  • Tonight's football match-up will determine which team advances to the championship.

Synonyms

competition
vsmatch-up
579 2.3

An event where people or teams compete to win

focuses on a specific setting where opponents are set against each other
match
vsmatch-up
504 1.4

A game in which two teams or players compete

is used for any event that sets opponents against each other for comparison
matchup
vsmatch-up
63 3.7

A pairing of teams, people, or things to compete and be compared

is written with a hyphen while keeping identical meaning
pairing
vsmatch-up
26 3.1

Grouping two things or people that go well together

is about the resulting event or situation rather than the grouping process
matching
vsmatch-up
17 2.3

The act of putting similar things together

is used when items are set against each other for comparison or contest

How Competitive

clash
117 3.2
showdown
108 4.3
contest
837 2.4
match-up
28 3.8
pairing
26 3.1

Surface Forms

match-up singular
match-ups plural

Morphology

match-up = match + up (transparent) = match + up

The noun is a straightforward compound of 'match' + the particle 'up' meaning a pairing or contest; the meaning is predictable from its parts.

Etymology

The word match-up comes from the common word match, meaning 'pair' or 'contest', plus the small word up, which here means 'together' or 'facing each other'. So a match-up is when two people, teams, or things are put together to compete or be compared.