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Definition of "matchwood" [matchwood]

  • Wood in small pieces or splinters suitable especially for making matches. (noun)
  • Splinters: The vessel was beaten to matchwood on the rocks. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "matchwood" in a sentence
  • "But nothing of the kind was visible, and the spars, masts, and other wreckage which had reached the rocks had been shattered into "matchwood" by frequent gales."
  • "Her hair is cross-parted by sleep, blonde as matchwood."
  • ""My new fear was that the paddle-boxes would be stove into matchwood this actually happened to the Ostend boat that same night about 40 miles away and naked paddle wheels are rather dangerous things.""
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