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Elastic Docs ›Reference [0.90] ›Query DSL ›Queries

Multi Match Query

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Multi Match Query

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The multi_match query builds further on top of the match query by allowing multiple fields to be specified. The idea here is to allow to more easily build a concise match type query over multiple fields instead of using a relatively more expressive query by using multiple match queries within a bool query.

The structure of the query is a bit different. Instead of a nested json object defining the query field, there is a top json level field for defining the query fields. Example:

{
  "multi_match" : {
    "query" : "this is a test",
    "fields" : [ "subject", "message" ]
  }
}

The multi_match query creates either a bool or a dis_max top level query. Each field is a query clause in this top level query. The query clause contains the actual query (the specified type defines what query this will be). Each query clause is basically a should clause.

Options

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All options that apply on the match query also apply on the multi_match query. The match query options apply only on the individual clauses inside the top level query.

  • fields - Fields to be used in the query.
  • use_dis_max - Boolean indicating to either create a dis_max query or a bool query. Defaults to true.
  • tie_breaker - Multiplier value to balance the scores between lower and higher scoring fields. Only applicable when use_dis_max is set to true. Defaults to 0.0.

The query accepts all the options that a regular match query accepts.

Boosting

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The multi_match query supports field boosting via ^ notation in the fields json field.

{
  "multi_match" : {
    "query" : "this is a test",
    "fields" : [ "subject^2", "message" ]
  }
}

In the above example hits in the subject field are 2 times more important than in the message field.

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