matter
Americannoun
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matters
plural
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the substance or substances of which any physical object consists or is composed.
the matter of which the earth is made.
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physical or corporeal substance in general, whether solid, liquid, or gaseous, especially as distinguished from incorporeal substance, as spirit or mind, or from qualities, actions, and the like.
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something that occupies space.
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a particular kind of substance.
coloring matter.
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a situation, state, affair, or business.
a trivial matter.
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an amount or extent reckoned approximately.
a matter of 10 miles.
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something of consequence.
matter for serious thought.
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importance or significance.
decisions of little matter.
- Synonyms:
- moment
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difficulty; problem; trouble: There is something the matter with the car.
Whatever is the matter?
There is something the matter with the car.
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ground, reason, or cause.
a matter for complaint.
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the material or substance of a discourse, book, etc., often as distinguished from its form.
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things put down in words, especially printed.
reading matter.
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things sent by mail.
postal matter.
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a substance discharged by a living body, especially pus.
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Philosophy.
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that which by integrative organization forms chemical substances and living things.
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Aristotelianism. that which relates to form as potentiality does to actuality.
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Law. statement or allegation.
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Printing.
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material for work; copy.
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type set up.
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Christian Science. the concept of substance shaped by the limitations of the human mind.
verb (used without object)
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matters,
present (3rd person singular)
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mattered,
past participle, past
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mattering
present participle
idioms
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a matter of life and death, something of vital or crucial importance.
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for that matter, as far as that is concerned; as for that: Also for the matter of that
For that matter, you are no better qualified to judge than I.
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as a matter of fact, in reality; actually; in fact.
As a matter of fact, there is no substance to that rumor.
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no matter,
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regardless or irrespective of.
We'll never finish on time, no matter how hard we work.
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it is unimportant; it makes no difference.
No matter, this string will do as well as any other.
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noun
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that which makes up something, esp a physical object; material
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substance that occupies space and has mass, as distinguished from substance that is mental, spiritual, etc
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substance of a specified type
vegetable matter
reading matter
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thing; affair; concern; question
a matter of taste
several matters to attend to
no laughing matter
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a quantity or amount
a matter of a few pence
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the content of written or verbal material as distinct from its style or form
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(used with a negative) importance; consequence
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philosophy (in the writings of Aristotle and the Scholastics) that which is itself formless but can receive form and become substance
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philosophy (in the Cartesian tradition) one of two basic modes of existence, the other being mind : matter being extended in space as well as time
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printing
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type set up, either standing or for use
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copy to be set in type
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a secretion or discharge, such as pus
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law
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something to be proved
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statements or allegations to be considered by a court
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as regards that
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See grey matter
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regardless of; irrespective of
no matter what the excuse, you must not be late
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(sentence substitute) it is unimportant
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wrong; the trouble
there's nothing the matter
verb
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to be of consequence or importance
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to form and discharge pus
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Something that has mass. Most of the matter in the universe is composed of atoms which are themselves composed of subatomic particles.
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See also energy state of matter
Synonym Usage
Matter, material, stuff, substance refer to that of which physical objects are composed (though all these terms are also used abstractly). Matter, as distinct from mind and spirit, is a broad word that applies to anything perceived, or known to be occupying space: solid matter; gaseous matter. Material usually means some definite kind, quality, or quantity of matter, especially as intended for use: woolen material; a house built of good materials. Stuff, a less technical word, with approximately the same meanings as material, is characterized by being on an informal level when it refers to physical objects ( Dynamite is queer stuff ), and on a literary or poetic one when it is used abstractly ( the stuff that dreams are made on ). Substance is the matter that composes a thing, thought of in relation to its essential properties: a sticky substance.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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mattersimple
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matterssimple
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have matteredperfect
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has matteredperfect
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am matteringprogressive
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are matteringprogressive
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is matteringprogressive
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have been matteringperfect progressive
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has been matteringperfect progressive
Past
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matteredsimple
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had matteredperfect
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was matteringprogressive
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were matteringprogressive
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had been matteringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of matter
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English mater(e), materie, from Anglo-French, Old French mat(i)ere, materie, from Latin māteria “woody part of a tree, material, substance,” derivative of māter “mother”; see also mother 1
Explanation
Matter is everywhere: anything that has mass and takes up space is matter. Air? Donuts? People? Buildings? Melted butter? All of these, and much, much more, are matter. Other kinds of matter don't have a physical form, like a concern, problem, or even something that people think about, like a worrisome money matter, a personal matter, or a movie with a particular subject matter. Matter can also be a verb, meaning "to be important," as in: "Good health matters to me."
Vocabulary lists containing matter
The Mother of All Lists: Mater, Matr
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Quantum of Vocabulary: the Parlance of Particle Physics
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Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
They added: "Our legal team looks forward to the depositions of Mr Bovino and all of the defendants in this matter".
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026
The scope of METR’s work was at times a point of friction internally, according to people familiar with the matter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
I cannot seem to get out of credit-card debt no matter what I do.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026
L.A. was always where Chandrasekaran wanted to be, he said, a place where your pedigree doesn’t matter as long as you are talented.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
In a matter of days, we’ll reach the river.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
“My husband is also just a really good gut check for me of what matters to the people of Los Angeles versus what matters in the hallways of power,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
That classification is commonly used to shield a variety of federal records from public release, including those containing personnel information, details about ongoing law enforcement operations and matters protected by attorney-client privilege.
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026
The indictment goes on to state that the prosecution may present evidence about other matters dating back to 2004, but these are not formal charges at this stage.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
A “super” El Niño is almost guaranteed to make matters worse for farmers and consumers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
“It doesn’t matter what I, the pastor, or anyone else thinks. What matters is what you believe. Do you have faith in your beliefs?”
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
The old leather place on Eighth Avenue in Chelsea was dark in the way that mattered, a judgment-free room where the only thing anyone asked of you was that you be yourself.
From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2026
When Fielder points out that he could barely see her face, Evans replies, “I guess that wasn’t what mattered to me.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
The only thing that mattered was how old they were when the eggs were frozen.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026
Raised playing soccer in Bryne, inside an indoor facility where no one kept score and participation was all that mattered, Haaland developed his own sense of discipline.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Back then, I really thought a name mattered.
From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry
“The fundamentals are going to end up mattering a lot more than we are maybe thinking right now.”
From Slate ● Oct. 3, 2026
Yet overall yield levels could start mattering a lot more in markets if the 10-year Treasury yield were to top 5%.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
"Several analysts argue that the second-quarter number itself may end up mattering less than what management says about the quarter ahead," said Axel Rudolph, a market analyst at IG.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
As commander-in-chief, he noted, "you are worshipped and loved by all today, not loved by everyone tomorrow, and are guilty of everything the day after tomorrow, with none of your achievements mattering".
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
And he found himself thinking that maybe stories don't just make us matter to each other—maybe they're also the only way to the infinite mattering he'd been after for so long.
From "An Abundance of Katherines" by John Green
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
