Some very combustible substance used for catching fire from a spark, as hemp, flax, cotton, tow dipped in sulphur, or a species of dry wood, called vulgarly touch-wood.

A rope or cord made of hempen tow, composed of three strands slightly twisted, and again covered with tow and boiled in the lees of old wine. This when lighted at one end, retains fire and burns slowly till consumed. It is used in firing artillery.

A person who is equal to another in strength or other quality; one able to cope with another. Government--makes an innocent man of the lowest ranks a match for the mightiest of his fellow subjects.

One that suits or tallies with another; or any thing that equals another.

Union by marriage. Love doth seldom suffer itself to be confined by other matches than those of its own making. In popular language, it is applied to the engagement of lovers before marriage.

One to be married. She inherited a fair fortune of her own--and was looked upon as the richest match in the west.

A context; competition for victory; or a union of parties for contest; as in games or sports. A solemn match was made; he lost the prize.

To equal. No settled senses of the world can match . The pleasure of that madness.

To show an equal. No history or antiquity can match his policies and his conduct.

To oppose as equal; to set against as equal in contest. Eternal might . To match with their inventions they presumed. So easy, and of his thunder made a scorn.

To suit; to make equal; to proportion. Let poets match their subject to their strength-- . --To match patterns and colors.

To marry; to give in marriage. A senator of Rome, while Rome survived, Would not have match’d his daughter with a king.

To purify vessels by burning a match in them.

To be united in marriage. I hold it a sin to match in my kindred. Let tigers match with hinds, and wolves with sheep.

To suit; to correspond; to be of equal size, figure or quality; to tally. We say of a piece of cloth, it does not match with another.