no match for
66
5.5
- idiom
:
no ser rival para
- Their primitive weapons are no match for ours.
Now, a leopard is no match for a lion.
- Now, a leopard is no match for a lion.
- But Thebes was no match for the Macedonian.
- But honestly, a healthy ego is still no match for a narcissistic person.
- And, he says, if we use this yardstick, Dostoevsky is no match for Agatha Christie.
- I remember staying with Theobald, who was proof that an excellent constitution is no match for a prolonged course of overfeeding.
- Odors from letterboxes, trash cans, cigarette smoke, dirty diapers, dead rodents, and more are no match for the thunderstorm.
- Flying monkeys are people who are often vulnerable and recruitable and the manipulations of the narcissist are no match for their rosy eyed or naive vision of the world.
Examples
-
Your brain is no match for that combination.
-
You're no match for me!
-
That girl was no match for us.
-
You are no match for me.
-
We are no match for him!
-
We're no match for him yet.
-
"Your wall was a good one, but it was no match for the ocean."
Fiction book (1993) -
Surely I'm no match for the Big Bad Wolf.
-
But, Rama, even the strength of the pack is no match for the tiger.
-
In a competition of strength, he was no match for the experienced champion.
Synonyms
63
3.7
Not as good in quality as something else
3
4.0
Not having the ability or resources to do something
1
6.3
Not able to manage a task or handle a difficult situation
Clearly worse than someone who is much better at the activity
Antonyms
How Competitive
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'not equal to or able to compete with' is directly derivable from combining 'no' (negation) with 'match' (an equal or competitor) plus the preposition 'for' indicating the opponent/target, so a learner who knows the parts can infer the overall sense. This noun‑phrase + preposition pattern is a standard, cross‑linguistic way to express lack of equivalence or rivalry, making the expression immediately comprehensible to B1 learners.
Etymology
No match for comes from the idea of a match as a contest, like a boxing or sports game. If one person is much stronger, the weaker one cannot compete and is 'no match for' the other, so the phrase means 'not able to compete'.