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Glite Dictionary
match-up

match-up

12 3.8
An event that pairs two sides, like sports teams, to compete
  • noun
  • /ˈmæʧˌʌp/
translation icon : 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

match
vsmatch-up
517 1.4

A game in which two teams or players compete

is used for any event that sets opponents against each other for comparison
competition
vsmatch-up
396 2.3

An event where people or teams compete to win

focuses on a specific setting where opponents are set against each other
matching
vsmatch-up
86 2.3

The act of putting similar things together

is used when items are set against each other for comparison or contest
matchup
vsmatch-up
80 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
10 3.1

Grouping two things or people that go well together

is about the resulting event or situation rather than the grouping process

How Competitive

clash
105 3.2
showdown
101 4.3
contest
∞ 2.4
match-up
12 3.8
pairing
10 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.