as in tournament
a competitive encounter between individuals or groups carried on for amusement, exercise, or in pursuit of a prize
a boxing matchup that promises to be a sportswriter's dream
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of matchup
Over the weekend, the Spurs and Timberwolves split their two matchups to tie the series at 2-2.
—
Andrew Greif, NBC news, 11 May 2026
The Timberwolves defeated the Spurs 114-109 in the last matchup on Sunday.
—ABC News, 11 May 2026
The Pistons have beaten the Knicks six out of their last seven regular-season matchups, including wins by 31 and 37 this season, plus a 15-point win with both Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart serving suspensions.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 11 May 2026
Earthrealm and Outworld cycle through matchup after matchup as the future of everything hangs in the balance, but the iterative tension rarely makes sense.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 6 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for matchup
Andrew Greif, NBC news, 11 May 2026
The Timberwolves defeated the Spurs 114-109 in the last matchup on Sunday.
—ABC News, 11 May 2026
The Pistons have beaten the Knicks six out of their last seven regular-season matchups, including wins by 31 and 37 this season, plus a 15-point win with both Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart serving suspensions.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 11 May 2026
Earthrealm and Outworld cycle through matchup after matchup as the future of everything hangs in the balance, but the iterative tension rarely makes sense.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 6 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for matchup
Recent Examples of Synonyms for matchup
Noun
-
Upon her return to Ring of Honor, she was thrust into a tournament to determine the first ROH women’s pure champion.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
-
The new, 76-team brackets will jam eight extra games — for a total of 12 involving 24 teams — into the front half of the first week of the men’s and the women’s tournaments.—
Eddie Pells,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
The Warriors finished 37-45 this year while dealing with numerous injuries, including losing Jimmy Butler to a season-ending right knee injury in January and Curry’s 27-game absence with a right knee injury of his own.—
Janie McCauley,
Chicago Tribune,
10 May 2026
-
The hearts and minds of Braves players were on Bobby Cox on a sunny evening at Dodger Stadium before the middle game of a three-game series against the Dodgers — a game that meant very little, considering the news of the day.—
Chad Bishop,
AJC.com,
10 May 2026
Noun
-
Friendly competition is part of the fuel for starter Davis Martin.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
7 May 2026
-
The concept of everyone coming together for one evening — and pausing their competition for the good of the overall TV business — had some legs.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
Lisa’s Safe Haven Childcare, which has eight locations throughout Northwest Indiana, hosted Monday’s event while its workers were on strike.—
Maya Wilkins,
Chicago Tribune,
12 May 2026
-
Social events tend to allow a tiny bit of leeway, even though the host then has to listen to tedious descriptions of the traffic.—
Judith Martin,
Sun Sentinel,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
In addition to playing its first home games of the season in Storrs and the upcoming schedule of matches in New Haven, the team has also continued to do community work in Bridgeport and runs a youth academy in Danbury.—
P.R. Lockhart,
Hartford Courant,
9 May 2026
-
The Ducks fell into a not-so-old habit, giving up a goal on the first shot of the game, this time just 66 seconds into the match.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Matchup.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/matchup. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
