matchstick /ˈmætʃstɪk/ noun2 •A small, slender piece of wood or cardboard serving as a component of a 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. •[in the plural] Any similarly small and thin piece.The explosion blew the powder shed to matchsticks. formsmatchsticks