matter

American  

[mat-er] / ˈmæt ər /

noun

• matters
  plural

1. the substance or substances of which any physical object consists or is composed.

   the matter of which the earth is made.

2. 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.

3. something that occupies space.

4. a particular kind of substance.

   coloring matter.

5. a situation, state, affair, or business.

   a trivial matter.

   Synonyms:

   concern, thing

6. an amount or extent reckoned approximately.

   a matter of 10 miles.

7. something of consequence.

   matter for serious thought.

8. importance or significance.

   decisions of little matter.

   Synonyms:

   moment

9. difficulty; problem; trouble: There is something the matter with the car.

   Whatever is the matter?

   There is something the matter with the car.

10. ground, reason, or cause.

    a matter for complaint.

11. the material or substance of a discourse, book, etc., often as distinguished from its form.

    Synonyms:

    topic, subject, content

12. things put down in words, especially printed.

    reading matter.

13. things sent by mail.

    postal matter.

14. a substance discharged by a living body, especially pus.

15. Philosophy.

    1. that which by integrative organization forms chemical substances and living things.

    2. Aristotelianism. that which relates to form as potentiality does to actuality.

16. Law. statement or allegation.

17. Printing.

    1. material for work; copy.

    2. type set up.

18. Christian Science. the concept of substance shaped by the limitations of the human mind.

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verb (used without object)

• matters,
  present (3rd person singular)
• mattered,
  past participle,  past
• mattering
  present participle

1. to be of importance; signify.

   It matters little.

   Synonyms:

   count

2. Pathology. to suppurate.

idioms

1. a matter of life and death, something of vital or crucial importance.

2. 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.

3. as a matter of fact, in reality; actually; in fact.

   As a matter of fact, there is no substance to that rumor.

4. no matter,

   1. regardless or irrespective of.

      We'll never finish on time, no matter how hard we work.

   2. it is unimportant; it makes no difference.

      No matter, this string will do as well as any other.

matter British  

/ ˈmætə /

noun

1. that which makes up something, esp a physical object; material

2. substance that occupies space and has mass, as distinguished from substance that is mental, spiritual, etc

3. substance of a specified type

   vegetable matter

   reading matter

4. thing; affair; concern; question

   a matter of taste

   several matters to attend to

   no laughing matter

5. a quantity or amount

   a matter of a few pence

6. the content of written or verbal material as distinct from its style or form

7. (used with a negative) importance; consequence

8. philosophy (in the writings of Aristotle and the Scholastics) that which is itself formless but can receive form and become substance

9. 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

10. printing

    1. type set up, either standing or for use

    2. copy to be set in type

11. a secretion or discharge, such as pus

12. law

    1. something to be proved

    2. statements or allegations to be considered by a court

13. as regards that

14. See grey matter

15. 1. regardless of; irrespective of

       no matter what the excuse, you must not be late

    2. (sentence substitute) it is unimportant

16. wrong; the trouble

    there's nothing the matter

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verb

1. to be of consequence or importance

2. to form and discharge pus

matter Scientific  

/ măt′ər /

1. Something that has mass. Most of the matter in the universe is composed of atoms which are themselves composed of subatomic particles.

2. See also energy state of matter

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matter Cultural  

1. In physics, something that has mass and is distinct from energy. (See phases of matter.)

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matter More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing matter

• crux of the matter
• for that matter
• gray matter
• mince matters
• mind over matter
• no joke (laughing matter)
• no matter
• the matter

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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

• nonmatter
  noun
• matterful
  adjective
• matterless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• matters
  plural

Participles

• mattering
  present
• mattered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• matter
  simple
• matters
  simple
• have mattered
  perfect
• has mattered
  perfect
• am mattering
  progressive
• are mattering
  progressive
• is mattering
  progressive
• have been mattering
  perfect progressive
• has been mattering
  perfect progressive

Past

• mattered
  simple
• had mattered
  perfect
• was mattering
  progressive
• were mattering
  progressive
• had been mattering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will matter
  simple
• will have mattered
  perfect
• will be mattering
  progressive
• will have been mattering
  perfect progressive

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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

matter matters mattered mattering

It will be the same with the Super Cup, but is the competition a glorified friendly or does it really matter?

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

"In the UK anybody, literally anybody, is free to stand in an election, no matter how idiotic the get-up", he told AFP ahead of the 2024 London mayoral elections.

From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026

Savings from moving production and operations to a more business friendly state could help offset those costs, the person familiar with the matter said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

Donald Murphy, a spokesperson for the Bureau of Prisons, said that as the matter is under investigation the agency has “no information to provide at this time.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

Even if Nine had been selling the mushrooms with the promise that they’d make toads sprout wings, it wouldn’t matter; for soon, Clare would be gone, Nine’s little mushroom business along with him.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

Berson called Romo’s legal matters “an evolving situation.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

In a sign of Rezaei’s new power, Khamenei also appointed him as his personal representative on the Supreme National Security Council, the body tasked with deciding the most important military and diplomatic matters.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

What matters is the overall trend in inflation — and the trend isn’t great.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026

It specifies no tax periods or matters, purporting instead to resolve “any and all claims,” forever, before agencies it does not even name.

From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026

To make matters worse, Ma seems incapable of separating home and school.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

That confidence was evident as Glave dominated his semi-final earlier in the evening, and he executed to perfection when it mattered most.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

After six years of unanswered questions, it was not the covert recordings, the diary entry, the animal trailer or the weapons that mattered most to detectives.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

But where was that fury in the room, when it could have mattered?

From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2026

Once in office, she championed issues that had mattered to him, including ceding control of the Panama Canal.

From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026

To them, what mattered was that it gave the United States an advantage over potential enemies.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

More recently, there have been signs of the Fed mattering a little more to investors, with stocks stumbling as rate expectations have climbed in response to rising energy prices.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 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

We’ll see several startling upsets in this round that won’t end up mattering, along with a disheartening number of 0-0 and 1-1 draws.

From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026

But, with more than a bit of desperation, he regards his work in miniaturization as his “last chance at greatness,” greatness mattering to him a great deal.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2026

When I join Isabella and Julia at our table, I look over where Alex stood singing, and think about getting up there and yelling about my life mattering, but I sure don’t do it.

From "A Good Kind of Trouble" by Lisa Moore Ramée

Related Words

• affair
• business
• circumstance
• event
• incident
• job
• proceeding
• question
• situation
• subject
• thing
• topic
• transaction