mat

¹ American  

[mat] / mæt /

noun

1. a piece of fabric made of plaited or woven rushes, straw, hemp, or similar fiber, or of some other pliant material, as rubber, used as a protective covering on a floor or other surface, to wipe the shoes on, etc.

2. a smaller piece of material, often ornamental, set under a dish of food, a lamp, vase, etc.

3. Sports.

   1. the padded canvas covering the entire floor of a wrestling ring, for protecting the contestants from injury when thrown.

   2. a thick pad placed on the floor for the protection of tumblers and others engaged in gymnastic sports.

4. a thickly growing or thick and tangled mass, as of hair or weeds.

5. a sack made of matting, as for coffee or sugar.

6. Building Trades.

   1. a slablike footing of concrete, especially one for an entire building.

   2. a heavy mesh reinforcement for a concrete slab.

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verb (used with object)

matted, matting

1. to cover with or as if with mats or matting.

2. to form into a mat, as by interweaving.

verb (used without object)

matted, matting

1. to become entangled; form tangled masses.

idioms

1. go to the mat, to contend or struggle in a determined or unyielding way.

   The president is going to the mat with Congress over the proposed budget cuts.

mat ² American  

[mat] / mæt /

noun

1. a piece of cardboard or other material placed over or under a drawing, painting, photograph, etc., to serve as a frame or provide a border between the picture and the frame.

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verb (used with object)

matted, matting

1. to provide (a picture) with a mat.

mat ³ American  

[mat] / mæt /

adjective

matted, matting

1. matte.

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mat ⁴ American  

[mat] / mæt /

noun

Printing.

1. the intaglio, usually of papiermâché, impressed from type or a cut, from which a stereotype plate is cast.

2. matrix.

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mat. ⁵ American  

abbreviation

1. matins.

2. maturity.

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M.A.T. ⁶ American  

abbreviation

1. Master of Arts in Teaching.

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mat ¹ British  

/ mæt /

noun

1. a thick flat piece of fabric used as a floor covering, a place to wipe one's shoes, etc

2. a smaller pad of material used to protect a surface from the heat, scratches, etc, of an object placed upon it

3. a large piece of thick padded material put on the floor as a surface for wrestling, judo, or gymnastic sports

4. a Māori cloak

5. to abandon urban civilization

6. any surface or mass that is densely interwoven or tangled

   a mat of grass and weeds

7. the solid part of a lace design

8. 1. a heavy net of cable or rope laid over a blasting site to prevent the scatter of debris

   2. a heavy mesh of reinforcement in a concrete slab

   3. (esp US) a steel or concrete raft serving as a footing to support a post

9. civil engineering short for mattress

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verb

1. to tangle or weave or become tangled or woven into a dense mass

2. (tr) to cover with a mat or mats

mat ² British  

/ mæt /

noun

1. a border of cardboard, cloth, etc, placed around a picture to act as a frame or as a contrast between picture and frame

2. a surface, as on metal or paint

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adjective

1. having a dull, lustreless, or roughened surface

verb

1. to furnish (a picture) with a mat

2. to give (a surface) a mat finish

mat ³ British  

/ mæt /

noun

1. informal printing short for matrix

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mat. ⁴ British  

abbreviation

1. matinée

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mat More Idioms  

1. see go to the mat; welcome mat.

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Other Word Forms

• matless adjective

Etymology

Origin of mat¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English mat(te), Old English matt, matta, matte, from Late Latin matta “mat (of rushes),” from a Semitic language; compare Phoenician maṭṭa, Hebrew miṭṭāh “bed”

Origin of mat²

First recorded in 1845–50; apparently mat ¹, influenced by matte ¹

Origin of mat⁴

First recorded in 1920–25; shortened form of matrix

Example Sentences

If you can, set up a portion of your hotel room or your guest room so it looks and smells familiar to your dog by placing its mat, bowls and toys in similar places.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

The organization also hosts various classes including yoga, breath work, mindful meditation, mat Pilates and step aerobics at their studio, the WalkGood Yard, in Arlington Heights.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 23, 2026

In most cases, the next debris flow would erase the mat, but occasionally the structure becomes buried and preserved.

From Science Daily • Mar. 8, 2026

Elsewhere in Omdurman, Hassan Bachir laid the table as neighbours rolled out a mat, all waiting for the sun to set.

From Barron's • Feb. 19, 2026

And there was no padded mat at the bottom!

From "Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat" by Johnny Marciano and Emily Chenoweth

Related Words

• place mat