Empatar has many meanings

Question

When I looked on SpanishDict.com for the meaning of "empatar," I did not find exactly what I was looking for. Yet I have heard it used in the following context, "La muestra de DNA que pertenece al sospecho, no empata con la de la victima."

Is "empatar," the proper way to convey, "to match?"

(I corrected the spelling of "empatar" in your title) - aloshek, NOV 21, 2009

Answer 1

You can use empatar, corresponder or igualar.

"La muestra de DNA que pertenece al sospecho, no empata con la de la victima."

"La muestra de DNA que pertenece al sospecho, no corresponde con la de la victima."

"La muestra de DNA que pertenece al sospecho, no es igual/no se iguala con la de la victima."

Answer 2

Another common meaning for "empatar" is "to equal" (According to Random House Latin-American Spanish Dictionary) which would make the most sense when talking about comparing DNA.