Definition

Noun: 1. A short, thin piece of wood: Specifically, the small wooden stick that forms the main part of a match, before or after the tip has been struck and burned.

Usage

The word "matchstick" refers specifically to the wooden component of a match. It is used to describe its physical form, often emphasizing its small size, thinness, or fragility. It can refer to a new, unused match or to the remnant left after one has been burned.

Examples

Advanced Usage

• As a unit of measurement or comparison: Informally used to describe something very thin.
  • After his illness, his legs were as thin as matchsticks.

Variants and Related Words

• Match (noun): The complete object, including the matchstick and the combustible tip, used for creating fire.
• Matchwood (noun): 1. Wood suitable for making matches. 2. Small splinters of wood, as from something shattered.

Synonyms

• Splint
• Spill (archaic, for a thin piece of wood or paper used to light a fire)

Idioms and Phrases

• (As) thin as a matchstick: An idiom describing a person or thing that is extremely slender or skinny.
  • The stray cat was as thin as a matchstick.

Noun

1. a short thin stick of wood used in making matches