Standard Lemma guide

matchstick

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Canada, US: /ˈmætʃstɪk/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A small, slender piece of wood or cardboard serving as a component of a match.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Holonym: match
  • A piece of wood or cardboard becomes a matchstick once the end has been dipped in a sulfurous compound to turn it into a complete match.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Any similarly small and thin piece.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: in-plural

Examples

  • The explosion blew the powder shed to matchsticks.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: shred, sliver, splinter

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

a short thin stick of wood used in making matches

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: stick

History

Etymology

From match + stick.

Across languages

Translations

60 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: شَحّاطَة (šaḥḥāṭa) — piece of wood
  • Arabic: شَخَّاطَة (šaḵḵāṭa) — piece of wood
  • Arabic: كِبْرِيت (kibrīt) — piece of wood
  • Arabic: كِبْرِيتَة (kibrīta) — piece of wood
  • Arabic: ثِقَاب (ṯiqāb) — piece of wood
  • Arabic: عُود ثِقَاب (ʕūd ṯiqāb) — piece of wood
  • Arabic: عُود كِبْرِيت (ʕūd kibrīt) — piece of wood
  • Arabic: وَقِيد (waqīd) — piece of wood
  • Arabic: وَقِيدة (waqīda) — piece of wood
  • Armenian: լուցկի (lucʻki) — piece of wood
  • Azerbaijani: kibrit — piece of wood
  • Belarusian: запа́лка (zapálka) — piece of wood
  • Bulgarian: кибри́т (kibrít) — piece of wood
  • Chinese Cantonese: 火柴 — piece of wood
  • Chinese: 番仔火 (zh-min-nan) — piece of wood
  • Chinese Mandarin: 火柴 (huǒchái) — piece of wood
  • Chinese: 火挩枝 /火捝枝 — piece of wood
  • Chinese: 火拭枝 — piece of wood
  • Czech: zápalka — piece of wood
  • Czech: sirka — piece of wood
  • Danish: tændstik — piece of wood
  • Dutch: lucifer — piece of wood
  • Finnish: tulitikku — piece of wood
  • French: allumette — piece of wood
  • Georgian: ასანთი (asanti) — piece of wood
  • German: Streichholz — piece of wood
  • German: Zündholz — piece of wood
  • Hindi: दियासलाई (diyāslāī) — piece of wood
  • Hindi: माचिस (mācis) — piece of wood
  • Hungarian: gyufaszál — piece of wood
  • Icelandic: eldspýta — piece of wood
  • Irish: cipín — piece of wood
  • Irish: cipín solais — piece of wood
  • Irish: lasán — piece of wood
  • Japanese: マッチ (matchi) — piece of wood
  • Khmer: ឈើគូស (chəə kuuh) — piece of wood
  • Korean: 성냥 (seongnyang) — piece of wood
  • Macedonian: кибритче (kibritče) — piece of wood
  • Macedonian: шкорче (škorče) — piece of wood
  • Macedonian: чкорче (čkorče) — piece of wood
  • Malayalam: തീപ്പെട്ടി (tīppeṭṭi) — piece of wood
  • Dari: کِبْرِیت (kibrīt) — piece of wood
  • Iranian Persian: کِبْریت (kebrit) — piece of wood
  • Polish: zapałka — piece of wood
  • Portuguese: palito de fósforo — piece of wood
  • Russian: спи́чка (spíčka) — piece of wood
  • Serbo-Croatian: ши̏бица — piece of wood
  • Serbo-Croatian: šȉbica — piece of wood
  • Slovak: zápalka — piece of wood
  • Slovene: vžigalica — piece of wood
  • Spanish: fósforo — piece of wood
  • Swahili: kijiti cha kiberiti — piece of wood
  • Swedish: tändsticka — piece of wood
  • Telugu: అగ్గిపుల్ల (aggipulla) — piece of wood
  • Turkish: kibrit — piece of wood
  • Ottoman Turkish: كبریت (kibrit) — piece of wood
  • Ukrainian: сірни́к (sirnýk) — piece of wood
  • Vietnamese: diêm — piece of wood
  • Vietnamese: que diêm — piece of wood
  • Polish: zapałka — similar small and thin piece
Real reading context

matchstick in complete knowledge articles