matchstick

noun

match·​stick ˈmach-ˌstik 

1

: a slender piece especially of wood from which a match is made

2

: something resembling a matchstick especially in slenderness

cut a carrot into matchsticks

Examples of matchstick in a Sentence

Cut the peppers into pieces the size of matchsticks.

Recent Examples on the Web

One of my favorites, done in gouache, chalk, watercolor, and pencil; sheep dance against a gray-green industrial background—mostly in pairs, balancing upright on each other's shoulders, their front legs crossing like matchsticks. —Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 June 2023

There is a knitwear cluster in Tiruppur, and the country’s biggest maker of matchsticks is in Sivakasi. —Alex Travelli, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2024

Cut the zucchini into 4 equal sections, then cut each section into matchsticks. —Bonnie S. Benwick, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024

Sometimes this is called a matchstick cut; Chinese chefs call it a strip cut. —G. Daniela Galarza, Washington Post, 11 Jan. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1791, in the meaning defined at sense 1