rematch

Etymology

It is formed from English re- + match, from the prefix meaning "again" and the noun or verb for a contest or pairing.^[2][3][4][5] The OED notes that the noun is slightly later than the verb in the sense "bring together in a further contest".^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

To match again: Etymonline finds the verb by 1835, used of oxen paired in the yoke.^[3] The OED's first record, in the sense "to put in a pair again, to find another match for", is from 1853, in the North British Review.^[2]

Semantic evolution

The sporting sense of the verb, to bring contestants together in a further contest, is recorded from 1896, in a Syracuse newspaper, and is used chiefly in the passive.^[2] The noun, a return match, followed in 1903, in a Montana newspaper.^[2] Etymonline dates the noun by 1910 and links it with boxing,^[3] Merriam-Webster gives 1941 as its first known use,^[4] and Dictionary.com dates the word to 1855–60.^[6]

Timeline

• 1835 – verb, to match oxen again in the yoke, by this date.^[3]
• 1853 – verb, to put in a pair again, to find another match for.^[2]
• 1896 – verb, to bring together in a further contest.^[2]
• 1903 – noun, a return match or contest.^[2]
• 1910 – noun, in boxing, by this date.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. A second match or contest between the same players or teams; a return match: The champion demanded a rematch after the disputed decision.^[4][7][2]

Verb

1. To bring two contestants together in a further contest; mostly in the passive.^[7][2]
2. To pair again, or to find another match for.^[2][5]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
7. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins